Face Swapping and Class Hopping
by SkyeRose
Summary: The Trust is up to their shenanigans again and this time SG-1 must go where they've never gone before...at least not for twenty years. Pretty fluffy for good measure. SamJack! Some DanJan too. Bonus chapter up!
1. Chapter 1

**Face Swapping and Class Hopping**

**Chapter One: We Have To Do What?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own.**

**A/N: Hey folks! Here's an idea that I know has been done before, but this one has my own little twists. So give it a try and hopefully you enjoy it!**

**Enjoy!**

"We have to do _what_?" Jack eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the general. The older man's only response was a grave nod of the head. Jack looked around the table at his team mates, hoping he wasn't the only one who thought this was crazy. Daniel was staring at the general with a mixture of horror and acceptance, though his skin had gone slightly pale. Teal'c was staring impassively at the general, his usual barely readable mask in place. And Carter…well, Carter was doing that damn thing where she bit her lip adorably.

As though reading his thoughts, her bright blue eyes locked onto his and for a second he thought he caught a glimmer of mischief; but it was replaced in the next second by worry. She turned her gaze to the general and cleared her throat anxiously,

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted." Hammond sighed, knowing what he had just asked of his people was preposterous, to say the least.

"Sir, I understand that the SGC has no jurisdiction outside of the mountain, but surely there must be some way to involve local authorities in this." She glanced around the table. "Instead of us, I mean."

Hammond let out another sigh. "We've tried that angle, Major, but we can't exactly tell them who we're looking for."

"We could tell them he's wanted for petty theft or something." Sam felt herself grasping at straws. A muffled cough next to her told her the colonel knew it too.

"Except for the fact that we don't know what they look like." Hammond opened the file in front of him. "The intel is severely lacking in this instance, people. We need to solve this thing quickly and to do that we need the best. I'm sorry, SG-1, but this is your mission."

Sam looked like she wanted to argue some more, but Jack lightly nudged her knee with his own and she fell silent, staring gloomily down at the table.

"Dismissed, people." Hammond rose from the table and went into his office, closing the door behind him. He released a tense breath. He'd been doing this job a long time…but this was by far the most outrageous mission he'd ever sent his people on. He only hoped they were up to it.

SG-1 rose silently from the briefing room table, not looking at one another, simply lost in their own thoughts. As a group they made their way to the elevators and down to Sam's lab. Once inside, Sam closed the door and leaned heavily against it. A moment of silence passed before Daniel and Jack started talking at the same time. Another pause. Finally, Jack said, "Well, there's no way in hell I'm doing this."

Sam was only slightly surprised. It wasn't like the colonel to turn down a mission, but in this case, it was completely understandable. "I don't think we have a choice, sir."

"But, can't this, like, screw up the time and space continuum thing?" He squinted his eyes at her, trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that.

"No, sir, unfortunately there's no risk of that."

"There's got to be something…" Daniel trailed, looking desperately around the room.

Sam opened her mouth and then closed it again before shaking her head in defeat. She couldn't see a way around it. "You've been awfully quiet, Teal'c."

"Of course he's been quiet. He gets a good cover." Jack flicked a small wad of paper at the big man. "What's there to complain about?"

"The fact that he'll have to be around hormonal adolescents all day, maybe?" Daniel answered irritably.

"Better than being one." Jack fired back.

Daniel opened his mouth to argue, but snapped it shut when he realized Jack was right. It _was_ better than being one of them. Sam watched this exchange with pursed lips, turning the inevitable over in her mind. She was beginning to come to terms with their situation and the bickering was getting on her nerves.

"Well." She said, pushing away from the door. "I think we all just have to get used to the idea."

"The idea?" Jack repeated sarcastically.

"Yes." Sam fixed her gaze on his. "The idea that we are going back to high school."

Daniel visibly tensed and Jack looked like all the air had been let out of him. Up until this point none of them had said it out loud, like it wasn't actually going to happen unless it was voiced. And Sam had broken that unspoken pact.

"Carter, do you know how long it's been since I went to high school?" Jack ignored the small voice in the back of his head warning him not to remind her of his age. Not that it really mattered anyway.

"It wasn't exactly yesterday for me either, sir." She snapped, surprised at the anger in her voice.

"Looks like Sam already has the hormonal mindset coming back to her." Daniel snarked, still annoyed at the situation. He had hated high school.

"Daniel." Sam warned.

"What? Besides, why are you upset? Didn't you love school?" Daniel crossed his arms rather petulantly and glared at his friend.

"No, as a matter of fact, high school was terrible." A pained look crossed her features, but she banished it before continuing. "Hopefully, it won't take more than a few days to find the rogue members of the Trust. They may have changed their appearance by several years, but they should still be recognizable. In and out."

"Right." Jack said, rolling his eyes. "Let's all just go trotting off to high school and blend in with the fifteen year olds. You don't think we're going to stand out?"

"We'll be using the mimic devices procured after the foothold situation-," Sam started, but Jack cut her off.

"I know _physically_ we'll blend in, but what about us? Our personalities. We've got twentyish years on these kids, you don't think that's going to show?"

"Not unless you show it." Daniel sighed. Jack had a point. "It's just going to take some effort to pretend our biggest worries are our complexions and exams."

"O'Neill, while this does indeed sound like a challenge, I believe you, Major Carter, and Daniel Jackson will succeed in your task." Teal'c bowed his head slightly.

"Thanks, T." Jack almost smiled. _Maybe_ he was just blowing this out of proportion.

"But if you do not, I will secure the criminals from my position as gymnasium instructor."

"Thanks, T." Jack repeated with much less enthusiasm.

"You might want to say gym teacher, Teal'c." Daniel smirked slightly and Teal'c inclined his head.

"We just have to be careful, sir. Stick together when we can, but we'll ultimately have to split up to find these guys." Sam settled onto the stool next to the colonel and across from Daniel.

"Ugh. What is high school even like nowadays? Greasers and prima donnas?" Jack grinned as a small laugh escaped his second's lips.

"No, sir. According to Cassie, it's 'chill.' Whatever that means." She grinned and both Daniel and Jack chuckled. Teal'c watched the exchange with a content, but slightly puzzled expression. He alone had begun to think about how being sent to high school could affect the team's psyche. Children back on Chulak were whirlwinds at that age, sucking you into their cares and concerns. He only hoped his friends could hold on to the dynamic they currently had.

By the end of dinner, Sam, Jack, and Daniel were feeling significantly better about their situation. Sam was loathe to admit it, but she was a little excited about being handed a class schedule. Daniel was curious to see how much things had changed from when he was in school and Jack was (secretly) eager to see how his team mates looked as teens.

**To be continued…**

**NOTE: Anyone else notice in Evolution Part 2 that every interaction Sam and Jack have is incredibly intimate and shippy? I don't know why I never noticed before, but this episode just shot to the top of my list!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Appearances Can Be Deceiving**

**Disclaimer: You guys know the drill.**

**A/N: Thank you to all who read and reviewed! You guys are the reason I do this and I wanted to take a little time and thank you, you wonderful readers and writers. You keep SG-1 alive.**

**Enjoy!**

Janet and Sam stood in front of the mirror in the locker room. Janet was trying to stifle a smile as Sam stared at herself in disbelief. She was sixteen again. Or at least, she looked sixteen again. But she _felt _it too. She could feel her long blonde hair brushing against her shoulder blades, all the muscle aches she'd had before were gone, and her round blue eyes didn't reflect all the tiredness she'd felt only moments before. They were clear and bright, almost eager.

"Whoa." She muttered, pausing slightly when she heard her higher voice. "This is something I never expected to see again."

"When did you say you got your first boyfriend again?" Janet asked, nudging her shoulder.

"When I was eighteen." Sam answered distractedly, turning this way and that in the mirror. There was no way that was her butt.

"I don't know why it took so long, you are quite the looker, m'dear." Janet drawled, laughing when Sam shot her a dirty look.

"Gee, Janet. Thanks."

Sam had to admit that some of the perks of going back as an adult meant clear skin and a better understanding of how kids thought. Looking like a teenager was starting to help her feel like a teenager. And this was almost exactly how she looked when she _was_ sixteen.

"All I'm saying is, you better watch out for those high school boys; they're going to be all over you."

"They weren't when I was actually in high school and they most certainly won't be now." Sam rolled her eyes. She really hadn't had very many friends in high school. She had skipped several grades and was much younger than her classmates. They made fun of her. It wasn't really the best time of her life.

"Well, I know one teenage boy who will be." Janet winked at Sam and she felt her adolescent cheeks go red. "Besides," Janet continued, knowing teasing could only go so far on base. "The geek-chic thing is in now according to Cassie. She even made me buy her a pair of fake glasses."

"I was wondering about those." Sam turned back to the mirror. Her BDU's hung loosely off her slim frame and she sighed. "We should probably go shopping."

"Hey, don't complain. Any time the Air Force offers to pay for a shopping spree, take it." The two women laughed again. "And Cassie is thrilled that she gets to have whatever you buy."

"I'm sure." Sam gave herself one last onceover. "Alright, let's go."

The woman and the teenage girl stepped into the hallway and made their way to the elevators. "Do you mind if we stop by my lab for a second? I want to make sure I turned off my computer."

"Sure." Janet pressed Sam's level and they rode the rest of the way in companionable silence. "So," she said as they stepped out of the elevator. "What kind of look do you think you'll go for?"

"Like nerdy or preppy?" Sam rolled her eyes as they turned the corner. "Um, probably as low key as I can get. I don't want to make myself stand out."

"Your face is going to hinder that." Janet poked Sam in the side and they both laughed again, neither of them noticing the two men standing in front of Sam's lab until they almost ran into them.

"Doc." Jack greeted bouncing on his heels.

"Janet." Daniel smiled and felt his fingers go all tingly. He sighed inwardly, this always happened whenever he saw.

"Colonel, Daniel." She nodded to both, but shot a quick smile at Daniel. Neither of them had seemed to recognize Sam yet.

"Listen, doc, have you seen Carter? We were going to ask if she wanted to grab lunch. You're invited too, of course." Jack's eyes flicked to the young girl standing beside Janet. "And Cass's friend too. Is Cass here?" He didn't say it, but he thought it was strange that Cass would have been allowed to bring a friend into the mountain.

Janet put her hand over her mouth and tried to swallow the giggles that were threatening to burst forth. "No, sir. She isn't."

"Ah." Jack felt the awkward silence descend as Daniel shifted uncomfortable behind him. "So, have you seen Carter?"

"Yes, sir."

Jack waited a beat, but when the doctor didn't volunteer anymore, he began to feel like something was off. He was missing something. He glanced back at the teenager and felt his stomach drop. "Carter?!"

The girl cleared her throat. "Hi, sir."

Jack and Daniel stood in stunned silence. Jack felt his mouth open and close several times, but could think of nothing to say except, "Whoa."

"This is…strange." Daniel said, taking his glasses off and wiping them on his shirt. He put them back on, frowned, and glanced from Janet to Sam. "You sure this is Sam?"

Sam rolled her eyes and slapped at the finger Jack was slowly poking her arm and shoulder with. "Yes, it's me."

Jack cocked his head and tugged on a long strand of Sam's hair. "But…you're so tiny." Sam glared at him, but he merely smiled, gently tugging once more on her hair. "This feels…really real." He released her hair and looked perplexed for a moment. "Carter, they didn't actually age you backwards, right?"

"No, sir. But we have made some modifications to the device's programming. There's a heightened reality to their effects now. Not only do I look sixteen, but I feel it too." She grinned sardonically. "I had no idea how much more _awake_ I used to be." And she had no idea how acute her hormones had been. Just standing near the colonel had her heart racing and her palms sweaty.

"You were a cute kid, Sam." Daniel grinned playfully.

"I'm not a kid."

"Exactly what a kid would say." Jack and Daniel nodded at each other, enjoying this way too much.

Sam took a step forward and placed her hands on her hips. She had to tilt her head further than she remembered to look at her two teammates. "Well, I for one can't wait to see what you two look like. Janet?"

"Yep." The two women looked at Jack and Daniel appraisingly before turning on their heels and walking back to the elevator. The two men watched them go, their expressions a mixture of confusion and concern.

"Well, uh oh." Jack said once they'd disappeared.

"That didn't sound good." Daniel raised his eyebrows and turned to look at Jack. Both men looked each other up and down. "What _did_ you look like when you were sixteen?

Jack narrowed his eyes at the younger man. "What did _you_ look like?"

They stared at each other for a moment before Daniel sighed. "Somehow, I think Sam is going to come out the winner on this one." Jack remained silent, but he was suddenly very nervous about this mission.

**TBC**

**A/N: Please R and R! Also, what are some of your favorite songs that remind you of Sam and Jack?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Rewinding the Clock**

**Disclaimer: You guys know the drill.**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! (And everyone who didn't, too.) I'm glad you guys like it so far. This chapter is a little more of setting up the plot, but I promise the action will start soon!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam once again found herself standing in front of the mirror with Janet, except this time they were both in her on base quarters. "So this is what kids wear nowadays, huh?" Sam looked herself up and down once again, running her fingers along the short hem of the dress. It was bright blue and fell to mid thigh, cinched at the waist with a belt, the sleeves just brushing her shoulders.

"It got Cassie's approval, so, I guess." Janet grinned from behind her. "I think it looks great."

"It's so…short, though. Is the school going to let me walk in like this?" She twisted from side to side, watching the swingy hem froth about her legs.

Janet chuckled. "Probably. If not they'll call your mother, who just so happens to be me."

"This is too weird." Sam sighed. She'd only been wearing the device for a little over an hour today, and she already felt her adult nature fading into the background. The modifications they'd done on this device had been perhaps too effective. The longer she wore the device, the more she felt sixteen. It was like she'd never aged, and though she still retained all of her memories, they didn't really feel like hers.

"The colonel is going to flip when he sees you." Janet nudged Sam's calf with her foot.

"Janet!" A distinctly adolescent whine had entered her tone. Sam cleared her throat. "Don't you think that's a little, I don't know, creepy?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm sixteen. Or, at least, I look sixteen. Wouldn't it be a little strange if he found me, well, _this_ me attractive?" Sam ran a brush through her hair, still marveling at how real everything was.

Janet paused, thinking that over. "Not if he's been wearing that device for awhile." When Sam frowned she continued. "The longer you wear it, the more you start to think like a teenager. Your hormones are reverting back to what they were twenty years ago and your mental state is changing with it. I don't think it would be strange at all."

Sam thought that over. It was true that the longer she wore the mimic device, the older Janet seemed to look. This thing really was changing her perception. She no longer felt her own age. As the implications of that set in, she began to worry. What if there were permanent after effects? What if this affected their ability to complete the mission?

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Janet's voice. "…wear?"

"Sorry, what?" Sam turned from the mirror to look at the other woman.

"I said, do you know what shoes you want to wear?"

"Um…" Sam glanced at the mess of clothing and shoes on her floor. "The boots." She had grabbed a pair of tan ankle boots on their way out of the last store and had fallen in love with them. And she wasn't the shoe kind of girl, either.

"Nice choice." Janet smiled as Sam plopped down to pull the shoes on. "Ready?"

Sam felt her heart clench in anxiety. "As I'll ever be."

They made their way out of her room and into the elevator heading to the surface to meet the boys. Janet would be driving Sam, while Jack drove Daniel, and an airman drove Teal'c. But they were all supposed to meet up for one last run through.

Sam smoothed her dress nervously as they exited the last security checkpoint and she saw her team gathered near the cars. As she approached, she was a little surprised to see that neither Jack nor Daniel seemed to have changed much in height, though Daniel was much slighter, hardly any muscle on him. The colonel too was slightly slimmer, but still broad in his back and shoulders. Both had tousled mops of brown hair on their heads.

As she neared the others, Sam noticed the two boys were dressed similarly in jeans and t-shirts, but the colonel was wearing a letterman's jacket as well. "Hey!" She called when they were within a few feet. The boys turned and Sam saw Jack's eyes widen slightly. And despite her better judgment she couldn't help the thought that strayed through her head, 'He's _cute.'_

"Football team, sir?"

"Yep." Jack shoved his hands deep into his pockets and smirked at her.

"Do you even play sports?" Sam raised an eyebrow and put her hand on her hip.

"Not even a little." He smiled cheerfully, not perturbed in the least.

"Right." Sam rolled her eyes. "Nice hair, Daniel."

"What? What's wrong with it?" He ruffled the brown locks self-consciously and looked from Janet to Sam, who were both fighting back laughter.

"Nothing. It's cute." Janet winked at him before turning back to Sam.

Before Daniel could question her further, General Hammond came up behind the girls. "Uncle George!" Sam exclaimed before clapping a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I don't know why that came out. I haven't called you that in years."

"Quite alright, Major Carter." He smiled at the assembled group. If he was thrown off by their teenage appearances he didn't let on. "Alright, people, here's how it's going to play out. Major Carter, you are a junior transferring from Florida in all advanced courses-,"

"Of course she gets the smart classes." Jack muttered, but Hammond continued as though he hadn't spoken.

"Dr. Jackson, you are a senior transferring from California in a mix of advanced courses and regular ones and Colonel," He turned to Jack. "You are in regular level courses, a senior transferring from Chicago and an excellent football player."

"Why do I have to be in the dumb classes?" A whine had crept into the colonel's voice and the general had to remind himself that the hormone levels in his people were a little thrown off.

"We need to cover a wide expanse of classes, this was the easiest way to do that. We also have reason to believe that one of the Trust might be on the football team in a low profile position. It'll be up to you to figure out who it is." Hammond handed a piece of paper to each of them. "These are your schedules and a basic outline of your back stories."

Jack looked down at his sheet, ticking off the subjects in his mind. _'Trig, Physics, English, United States Government, Gym, Study Hall, Spanish.'_ "Spanish?" he asked out loud.

"Yes, colonel." Hammond smiled slightly.

"And since when are these average classes? Physics?"

"It's a senior class, Jack." The general sighed.

"Hey, T!" Jack turned to Teal'c. "Looks like I have gym with you fifth period." Teal'c inclined his head, but didn't say anything. He still felt that this was not the most efficient way to handle the Trust problem.

"What do you have first?" Sam asked, trying to peek at his sheet.

"Trigonometry." Jack wrinkled his nose, but Sam didn't buy it. She knew he was highly intelligent, he just didn't like to show it. "You?"

"AP U.S. History. How about you Daniel?"

"Study Hall. Who has study hall first?" Daniel was frowning and absently ran his fingers through his hair.

"The kids who don't do their homework the night before." Jack clapped Daniel on the back.

"Great." Daniel looked over the rest of his schedule. "Pre-Calc, AP U.S. Government, AP Literature, Physics, Computer Science, and Italian. Well, at least I'll ace that one."

Sam looked at the rest of her classes. _'AP U.S. History,_ _AP Biology, AP English Language, AP Calculus, Sign Language, Study Hall, and AP Chemistry.'_ Except for the sign language these were pretty much her actual sophomore year classes. "Wait…when do you have Study Hall, sir?"

"Sixth."

"Me too. Is there a mistake, general?" If they wanted to spread them out over as many classes as possible, having an overlap kind of defeated the purpose.

"No, it's not. We didn't want the amount of advanced courses you have to look suspicious and the only available Study Hall was sixth." Hammond looked at his two officers and suddenly wondered if having them share a class was such a good idea.

"Now Carter can help me with my homework." Jack grinned and bounced on the balls of his feet.

Sam rolled her eyes, but felt a blush creeping up her cheeks. "Remember people," Hammond continued. "This is just high school. And colonel, major, you might want to start using names."

"Right." Sam bit the inside of her lip, but couldn't bring herself to look at Jack. "At least until we're back at the base this afternoon." Sam said, originally going for levity, but it came out more strained than anything else.

When the general didn't answer right away, Jack cocked his head. "General? Are we not coming back this afternoon?"

"No, we thought it might be suspicious if anyone followed you after school. We wanted to have you placed with "families" in houses near the school—," He paused at the horrified looks on Daniel and Jack's face and the slightly sick look Sam was suddenly wearing. "_But_, we have decided to rent three apartments on the same floor in the same building. One for Major Carter and "her mother," though Dr. Frasier will not be required to stay there. The other two are for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson and Teal'c. Once inside you will be free to move about as you please, but it is recommended you continue to wear the mimic devices." He deliberately chose not to look at either Jack or Sam when he said this.

"Which means no funny business when I'm not there, Sam." Janet winked. "With your permission, sir, these kids are going to be late for school so we'd better vamoose."

"Right." The general gave his flagship team an appraising look. "SG-1, good luck. And God's speed."

"Thanks, General!" Jack smiled brightly. "Let's go, folks." He and Daniel climbed into his car and Jack started the engine. Teal'c bowed his head, then climbed into a car with an airman, while Sam and Janet got into Janet's car.

Once they were alone, Janet turned to Sam. "So…study hall with the colonel."

"Yup." Sam gave a tight smile as Janet pulled onto the road behind Teal'c.

"Interesting."

"Yup."

"You okay?"

"Nope."

Janet smiled and gave Sam a sympathetic look. "Nervous?"

"Yes." Her voice sounded slightly surprised. "I don't think I expected to be. But, Janet…I don't feel like myself anymore. I mean, I feel like me, but I no longer feel like an adult." She paused. "And I hated high school, Janet. I mean, I really hated it. I didn't have a friend in the whole school."

Janet grimaced slightly. "Just remember that this time around it doesn't matter. You have people that mean more to you than friends. They care about you and they'll be there with you."

'"I guess." Sam clenched her hands in her lap and stared out the window. She could feel herself withdrawing, pulling into the shell she had protected herself with all through high school. "I guess."

**TBC**

****Thank you to midnightread who caught my "lab" typo. 'Tis been fixed!**

**A/N: Please R and R!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Divide and Conquer**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the positive responses, guys! I'm happy you like it so far!**

**Okay, so I just rewatched 'Affinitiy' for the first time since it aired and I practically burst into tears at Sam and Jack's conversation about the ring. How could she have said yes after that?! Sigh…**

**Enjoy!**

Sam stood outside the car, staring up at the building looming in front of her. It looked much different than the high school she had actually attended. Hers had been two stories and made of bricks. This one was bigger—three stories, all modern lines, and concrete. To the increasingly young mind of Sam Carter it was intimidating.

"You're going to be late." Janet supplied helpfully from the car.

Sam turned and gave her a tight smile before shutting the door and hitching her bookbag higher on her shoulder. She saw Jack and Daniel a little ahead of her on the school's front steps. They weren't supposed to interact with one another, so as not to give suspicion to any of the Trust. She watched as Daniel entered the school and Jack stayed to hang out on the steps. As Sam passed him, he whispered, "Drop your bag."

Without pausing to think, she followed the order, dumping her bag to the ground. "Crap." She bent to pick up a few items that had spilled from the bag. A few kids asked if she needed help, but she just smiled and declined, thinking that these kids were so different from what she was used to. The colonel—Jack—kneeled next to her, picking up her notebook and holding it out to her, keeping his eyes down at the ground.

"You going to be okay? You seem a little…off." He spoke quietly, barely moving his lips.

Sam did the same. "Yes, sir. Jack." She corrected, glancing around to see if anyone heard.

He nodded almost imperceptibly before standing and holding out a hand to help her up. "Remember, anything happens that feels off, come find me. You know where I'll be."

Sam nodded and said 'thank you' loudly, then dropped her voice again. "Same to you."

"See ya sixth." Then he waved and disappeared into the throng of kids. Sam watched him go, her heart thudding in her chest. Several girls were staring at him as he passed and Sam couldn't help the smug feeling blossoming in her chest. _'I know him and you don't.'_ She taunted silently, barely acknowledging this was not normal behavior for her at all. _'And you never will.'_

Then she hurried off to class, her blue dress swirling as she went.

….

Teal'c was already waiting in the head administrator's office by the time she came in. "You must be Mr. Jones." She held out at her hand as Teal'c rose and shook it.

"You may call me Murray." Teal'c inclined his head, careful not to displace his black beanie.

"Murray." She smiled at him before sitting behind her desk and opening the file folder that lay there. "Well, you certainly come highly recommended."

"Indeed." Teal'c inclined his head.

"In fact, you come so highly recommended I have to wonder…why here?"

Teal'c's instincts perked up a little. This woman was suspicious; was it possible she was working with the Trust? "My son, Ryan, has chosen to go to university in the area. I wish to be closer with him as I missed much of his childhood."

The woman-Rena Maynard according the plaque on her desk-smiled at him, her eyes softening. "My husband is in the military and we have a young daughter, so I understand. I think it's very noble of you to uproot your Air Force career to be close to him."

Teal'c inclined his head again, the corners of his mouth tugging up. He was proud that his cover story had worked so well. The woman cleared her throat. "So, Murray, you have first hour free, so that is considered your planning hour. You're welcome to spend free time in the teacher's lounge or in your office which is located in the boy's locker room. Do you have any questions?"

"No, Mrs. Maynard. This has been most enlightening." Teal'c stood and shook hands with her again.

"You can call me Rena." Teal'c nodded and left the room. As he walked down the hallway he peered into several of the classrooms, wondering if he was seeing any members of the rogue NID group. At the end of the hall, he spotted Major Carter, sitting front and center in her A.P History class. She was sitting up straight and attentive, bright eyes focused on the teacher.

Teal'c smiled slightly. Major Carter seemed to be within her element. He turned the corner and made his way to the gym. He passed the library and saw Daniel Jackson sitting at a table with another boy. Both were ignoring each other, too intent on the books open in front of them. Teal'c continued on, wondering if he would happen across O'Neill as well, but he reached the gym without passing anymore classrooms.

…

Jack stared down at the open notebook in front of him, not paying the slightest bit of attention to what the teacher was saying. He had already done this, why bother paying attention? Besides, math was more Carter's thing than his.

So, instead of paying attention, he looked around the room. It was a small class, maybe sixteen or seventeen people and an even mix of girls and boys. School was only a few weeks in, but the friend groups had already been established. It wasn't fair to call them "cliques," Jack couldn't really see any defining characteristics in each group. Had cliques gone out of style?

Two girls glanced back at him and smiled, giving him finger waves. Jack gave them the barest of grins, his adult brain cringing at how inappropriate this was. But that gave him pause. Why hadn't his brain told him it was inappropriate to think Carter was incredibly hot? Maybe because he was still thinking of her as an adult? Jack thought about it. He was thinking of her as an adult, no question. And she looked so much like her adult self—just a little shorter and with longer hair.

Jack felt his heart pick up speed when he thought about her in that dress. These damn hormones. He continued to look around the room. All of these kids looked normal—none appeared to be an adult in a kid's body. Jack shook his head. He couldn't explain it, but he didn't think any of the Trust were in this trig class.

…

Daniel was so engrossed in his book that he didn't hear the girl come up behind him, or when she sat down across from him. After staring at him for a long moment, she finally said, "Hi."

Daniel looked up and blinked rapidly, pulling himself from the book. "Hello."

She smiled at him. "New guy?"

"That'd be me."

"Cool." She looked around for a moment and Daniel wasn't sure if he was supposed to respond to that. "I know what it's like to be the new girl. My dad's in the military, we're always traveling."

"That can be cool too." Daniel started slowly, not actually sure what he should be saying.

"I guess. This is my first week here, too." She looked over her shoulder at the teacher to see if she had noticed them talking. She hadn't.

Daniel narrowed his eyes slightly. She was new too…could she be one of the people they were looking for? They weren't exactly sure how many people they were looking for, but tentative intelligence said there were three. No specification on gender.

"Do you like it here?" Daniel searched his mind for a question that might give her away, but came up empty.

She shrugged. "No complaints. People are generally nice. Hopefully, I can stay here for awhile."

"Right." Daniel smiled and opened his mouth to ask her something else when the bell rang.

She stood. "It was very nice to meet you, uh…"

"Peter." Daniel supplied, the name sounding strange in his mouth.

"Well, it was nice to meet you, Peter. I'm Jane."

"You too, Jane. See you tomorrow." He picked up his backpack and they parted ways. If Daniel hadn't been distracted by his own thoughts, he might've seen her look back- just once-and frown, before pulling out her cell phone.

**TBC**

**A/N: Please R and R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Sticking It Out**

**Disclaimer: Sigh. You know.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful responses! You guys are great! **

**Enjoy!**

Sam sighed wearily as fifth period ended and she made her way to the library. She hadn't remembered how tiring school could be, especially when everyone around you was young and you already knew all the material. She dropped into a chair at an out of the way table and pulled out her books and paper. There wasn't a lot of homework, but she didn't want to have to do it later.

"I don't think it's fair we have to do homework." Jack said quietly as he dropped into the chair next to her.

"Si—Jack, what are you doing?" Sam hissed, looking around quickly to see if anyone was looking at them.

"It's Jim, Emily." Jack quirked an eyebrow at her and grinned when she flushed pink.

"I know that." She half-snapped. "You just caught me off guard. Are we supposed to be interacting?"

"Sure, why not?" Jack dropped his bag on the floor, leaving his single notebook on the table. "So, find anyone promising?"

Sam glanced around once more before nodding, eyes shining excitedly. "Yes, I think so. There's a boy in my fourth hour, he took a little too much interest in me."

Jack raised his eyebrow before pointedly trailing his eyes over her dress. He tried to ignore the odd twinge of jealousy that ran through him. "Gee, Em…that could be because you're, oh, I don't know, smokin'?"

Sam's eyes widened and she felt her brain trying to come up with something—anything—to say. "I…don't think that's it." When Jack looked like he was going to continue, Sam pushed on hurriedly. "What about you?"

"I got nothing." He shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe the intelligence is wrong."

"Or maybe we're just missing something." Jack and Sam stared at each other for a long moment, thinking over the implications of what that could mean.

By the time the final bell had rung and everyone was settled into sixth period, Sam was quickly completing her homework and Jack was staring around the room. They were missing something. And that couldn't be good.

…..

After sixth, Sam hurried towards her next class, afraid of what she might do if she sat next to Jack for another second. Everything that man did was adorable—_everything_! The way he procrastinated his homework, the way his fingers formed little paper balls, the way his eyes glinted whenever she caught him looking at her…

Sam snapped out of her reverie when she bumped into someone's backpack. "Sorry." She turned, her blue eyes wide with apology. The girl she bumped into turned to face her, but instead of looking angry like Sam had expected she was smiling.

"No problem." The curly red-head said brightly. "Hey, Emily, right?"

The name didn't register with Sam immediately and there was the slightest pause before she smiled back. "Yep. You're in my history class, right?"

"Yeah, my name's Marcy." She held out her hand and Sam shook it, smiling back. "You're really smart, you know that?"

Sam flushed, even as the part of her brain that was still adult rolled its eyes. "Yeah, I get that sometimes."

"Don't be embarrassed." The girl nudged Sam's arm. "Intelligence is a good thing. There's not nearly enough of it around here. Oh, Jen, Lissa!" The girl called over Sam's shoulder.

"I should go." Sam jerked her thumb over her shoulder awkwardly, before turning to leave.

"No, wait! I want you to meet my friends." They waited until two other girls walked up. The first one, Jen, was short and thin with shoulder length black hair. The second, Lissa, was of medium build and athletic looking, her sandy hair pulled tight into a ponytail. Could one of them be part of the Trust? "Jen, Lissa, this is Emily. She just transferred here."

Both girls smiled conspiratorially and Sam immediately went on high alert. Nothing good could come from those looks—those looks could only mean one thing…Sam braced herself, her adult nature rearing its head ever so slightly. "Oh, we know who she is." Then they both giggled.

Sam stilled, unsure now of her suspicion. Would giggling be a Trust thing to do? She didn't know. "You, uh, you do?"

"Sure." Jen elbowed her gently. "You know that new cutie on the football team."

"Jim." Lissa supplied helpfully.

"Oh, my god, I've seen him!" Marcy spun to face Sam. "The one with the ruffly brown hair and adorable dimples, right?" The three girls giggled again and Sam saw something in their eyes she had never seen as an actual teenager…admiration. They _admired_ her for knowing a cute guy? That didn't sound right.

"Well, I don't really know him." Sam stammered, trying to retain the cover. Not that it really mattered; she doubted this giggling trio was part of anything nefarious.

"Sure seems like he wants to get to know you." Lissa waggled her eyebrows and Sam flushed.

"Looks like she wants to get to know him too!" Marcy practically screeched and this time Sam joined in the laughter. It would look more natural if she had a few friends in this place.

"Guys!" Sam barely noticed how young she sounded anymore. "Ssh! Someone might hear you."

"Like Jim?" Jen stage whispered as the warning bell rang. "Ugh, seventh hour."

"What do you have?" Marcy asked, glancing at Sam as she grabbed a book from her locker.

"AP Chem." Sam glanced down at her schedule even though she'd already memorized it.

"Whoa." Marcy said as Jen and Lissa raised their eyebrows. "Intense course."

"Oh." Sam replied looking down. This is when the inevitable teasing started.

"Well, it's better than mine, I have Phys Ed." Jen tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I hate getting all sweaty right before the day is over."

"Better than being sweaty half way through the day." Lissa rolled her eyes. "Anyway, it's better than having math last. I'm so done with this place by lunch, but I have to stay for the numbers."

Sam stared at the small group incredulously. They weren't teasing her? They were…sympathizing? Sam frowned, still not used to being stuck with teenage insecurity. She had gotten over all of this years ago—hell, she'd saved the world dozens of times…she had nothing to be insecure about. But…she was.

"I beat all of you." Marcy smirked. "I have Health and we're learning all about," She paused and looked around dramatically. "Male sex organs." They all cracked up again, drawing stares from the other stragglers. "Alright, I gotta go, but Emily you should totally hang out with us after school. We meet up in the student parking lot."

Sam smiled. "I would love to, but I can't today." She cast quickly about for a reason why. "I have a meeting with the guidance counselor and it might run long."

"Oh." Lissa pulled a face. "Mrs. Sanders can talk forever. Try not to let her rope you in."

"Will do." Sam grinned and made to turn away.

"Eat lunch with us tomorrow!" Marcy called as Sam headed down the hallway.

"Okay!" Sam smiled before turning the corner, the smile immediately sliding from her face. The conversation had been stressful and she wasn't even sure why. She couldn't wait for this day to be over.

….

Sam collapsed onto the couch in "her" apartment, burying her face in one of the pillows. This day felt like it had lasted forever. She was exhausted. Which is why when there was a knock on the door she didn't immediately answer. Instead, she paused irrationally thinking that whoever it was would go away. When the knock came again, she sighed.

She approached the door, but didn't call out. Instead she glanced out the peephole, relieved when she saw Daniel outside. "Hey." She smiled as she pulled the door open.

Daniel quickly moved inside and she shut the door behind him. "Hey." He replied, sounding as exhausted as she looked.

"How was your day?" Sam asked, reclaiming her spot on the couch.

"Long. Boring. Interesting. I don't know." He sank down next to her. "I don't remember high school being this exhausting."

"Me neither. But the people are nicer." Sam leaned her head on Daniel's shoulder. She'd always thought of him as the brother she'd never had. He was what she'd always wanted Mark—her actual brother—to be like. But she'd never told him that. Something about these devices was making her extremely sentimental. "Find any leads?"

"Nope. No good one anyway. You?" He squeezed her shoulder.

"Maybe. A guy named Tim."

"Oh, yeah." Daniel said, suppressing a laugh.

"You know about him?"

"Yeah, I ran into Jack after sixth hour. He mentioned something about you being typical you."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, he wasn't exactly diverging from his usual self either."

Daniel smiled at her, but quickly sobered. "Sam…if I ask a question, you have to promise not to get mad."

Sam sat up and looked at him, eyes narrowed. "No promises."

Daniel sighed, but pressed on anyway. "How are you doing? With these devices, I mean. It can't be easy."

Sam looked at Daniel for a long time, contemplating how she was going to answer. "It's…tough." She said finally, looking away. "Harder than I expected it to be."

Daniel opened his mouth to answer when a knock at Sam's door silenced him. He looked at Sam, about to ask if he should get it, when he was once again stopped in his tracks—this time by the look on Sam's face. She had blanched and there was a tenseness in her body that hadn't been there before.

"Sam? You okay?"

Sam put her finger to her lips.

Daniel leaned forward and spoke quietly. "But there's someone at your front door."

Sam shook her head slowly. "That's not my front door, Daniel. That's my bedroom."

**TBC**

**A/N: Please R and R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: You're Only As Old As You Feel**

**Dislaimer: See previous.**

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! A family vacation is eating up my writing time. But here's the next chapter! Thank you to all who reviewed!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam reached behind her, fishing her gun from its hiding spot in the couch cushion. Daniel felt his hand jerk towards his thigh-where his holster usually was-momentarily forgetting where they were. With a nervous jolt he realized his own gun was back in his apartment…two doors down. The person on the other side of the door rapped loudly one more time before the knob turned and Sam raised her weapon, aiming right at—

Colonel O'Neill.

Sam exhaled sharply and lowered her weapon, not noticing how far the hemline of her dress had ridden up as she had readied her weapon. Daniel glared at Jack. "Jesus, Jack, how the hell did you get in there?"

"We have connecting doors." Jack jerked his thumb over his shoulder as if this was the most obvious thing in the world.

"We do?" Sam frowned, she didn't remember that.

"In an apartment building?" Daniel frowned too.

"The SGC put them in. They'll fill it when we leave again." Jack moved into the room and plopped himself at the dining room table.

"Why go through all the trouble?" Sam shifted in her seat, pulling her dress up further, but she still didn't seem to notice.

"Make it easier for us to communicate, I guess." Jack dutifully kept his eyes on Carter's, even though he had noticed the smooth expanse of leg extending well past her dress. He saw Daniel frown out of the corner of his eye, no doubt noticing how rigidly the older man—masquerading in a teenage body-was suddenly holding himself.

Daniel glanced from Sam to Jack three times before he realized what Jack was trying to avoid looking at. Looking down, he saw that Sam's dress had ridden up well past social acceptability, the edge of her blue underwear just visible at her hip.

"What?" Sam asked, glancing between the two men and their sudden silence.

"Um, Sam…" Daniel glanced pointedly at her legs and after a long moment of not understanding, she finally looked down.

"Oh, my god." Sam yanked her hem down and blushed furiously, her neck and cheeks turning bright pink. Jack couldn't help but notice how flattering a shade it was on her.

Sam stared at her boots, refusing to look up at either one of them. She was unbelievably embarrassed. Both men had seen her in various states of undress over the years, but never because she was careless. And never in such an intimate setting. Daniel cleared his throat and stood, casting a hard glance at Jack. "I'm going to go start on that homework." It sounded lame even to his own ears, but what were you going to do? Sam's embarrassment was practically tangible and his continued presence wasn't helping.

He didn't wait for a response before he bolted for Sam's bedroom door, hesitating ever so slightly before going in. _'There really is a connecting door.'_ He marveled briefly before stepping through.

…..

Teal'c was on the couch in front of the large flat screen TV in the living room. He was watching the Home Improvement Channel on a low volume—loud enough so he could hear it, but soft enough that he could hear everything around him as well. It was because of this that he heard the hurried footsteps and short knock on the unobtrusive door in his living room. He stood and made his way over to open it.

"Daniel Jackson." The big man was unsurprised. "Please come in." Teal'c closed the door, which led to the archaeologist's bedroom. The doors started at Major Carter's room, the one in her sleeping quarters leading to O'Neill's living room. O'Neill then had another door in his bedroom that led to Daniel's Jackson's living room and so on.

"Thanks, Teal'c." Daniel entered, ruffling his long hair slightly; he still wasn't used to having shaggy hair again. He looked around to make sure Teal'c's blinds were closed before he reached under his shirt and removed the mimic device. Almost instantly he felt better.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the desperate look on his friend's face, but said nothing. "Can I offer you a beverage, Daniel Jackson?"

"I'm fine." The younger man took a deep breath before collapsing on Teal'c's couch. "I cannot tell you how good it feels to be me again."

"Are you not still the same Daniel Jackson while wearing the device?"

Daniel paused, thinking that one over. "I am, but…I feel so different, Teal'c. I don't just look like a teenager, I _feel_ like one too. Everything—the hormones, the sense of urgency, the insecurity, the desire to fit in…" His voice faded away as the list went on until eventually he was silent, staring thoughtfully into space.

Teal'c watched Daniel for another moment then seated himself next to him. "Do you believe you will be able to accomplish this mission in an efficient manner?"

Daniel looked like he was about to answer in the positive, but stopped himself halfway through. "I hope so, Teal'c."

"What of O'Neill and Major Carter?" Teal'c brow was low with concern for his team. He had had misgivings about this assignment from the start and now the problems seemed to be popping up with a vengeance.

Daniel hesitated once again. "They're not taking this so well, either. Sam's really…different. She less careful—less guarded. And Jack, well, he isn't too different actually." Teal'c nodded his head slightly, he found that O'Neill often behaved like an adolescent even in full adulthood. "But I think he's feeding off a lot of what Sam feels. Her emotions are so close to surface it's a little infectious."

"Where are they now?" Teal'c was not looking at Daniel, instead he directed his concerned gaze to the adjoining door as if he was trying to catch a glimpse of them.

"In Sam's apartment. Teal'c I-," Daniel broke off out of habit. He wasn't entirely sure that the apartments weren't bugged and what he had been about to say wouldn't go over well with the higher ups.

But Teal'c inclined his head in understanding. "I, too, am concerned, Daniel Jackson." He chose his words carefully. "The new circumstances present potentially harmful changes to our team dynamic."

"Or helpful ones." Both men considered the alternate possibilities.

After a long moment, Daniel shook himself out of his reverie, adjusted his glasses and smiled. "So, how was your first day?"

…

Sam bit her lip and looked around her sparse living room, eyes roaming everywhere except the colonel. He was still sitting rigidly in the chair, but she could tell his eyes were on her—waiting for her to make the first move.

"I'm sorry, colonel. That was completely irresponsible of me." Her throat felt dry, like she hadn't spoken in ages.

"Carter." Something in his tone pulled her back into herself—sobered her up. He had sounded just like _her_ colonel…which meant that she had to be _his _major. Not Emily and Jim.

"Sir." Sam lifted her eyes and felt a wave of emotion—something warm and soft—rush through her when she locked eyes with the him. His face was still that of an eighteen year old, but his eyes were deep and familiar. He was still in there.

So why did Sam feel like she was slipping away? Slowly, but surely she felt like it got harder and harder to hold on to what made her Major Carter. Were the others feeling it too? She didn't want to admit it, but she was afraid. What if she was having an adverse reaction to the device? Sam shook her head inwardly. No, there was no way; she had overseen the devices' modifications herself. _'But there were others there too. Other people who were alone with them.'_ Sam shoved the small voice down, trying to quelch her rising feeling that something was terribly, horribly wrong.

Just as she thought she might explode with fear, her cell phone rang loud and shrill. Both colonel and major jumped, faces tightening into startled expressions. It rang again and Sam laughed, high and thin, before reaching for the phone. "Hello?" Her voice was little more than a squeak.

She waited, but only silenced greeted her. "Hello?" She said again, stronger this time. By this time, Jack had perked up and was staring at Sam intensely, his expression questioning. She just shrugged at him, momentarily forgetting the little incident from earlier. "Hello?" Once more.

Almost immediately, there was a response, but Sam knew it was wrong. It was her voice, echoing back at her. "Who is this?" She demanded, watching Jack rise from his chair out of the corner of her eye. He moved next to her and sat down quietly. Sam tilted the phone so they both could hear.

"Who is this?" Her own voice demanded back at her.

She shot Jack a look and he raised his eyebrows. "Whoever this is, it isn't funny."

The response, still in her voice, was so unexpected that Sam almost dropped the phone. "We're watching you."

And the line went dead.

**TBC**

**A/N: Thanks for hanging in there, guys!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: The Bigger They Are**

**Disclaimer: You know the deal.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the wonderful responses! I know I promised more Sam and Jack in the chapter, but I pushed it to the next one, hope you don't mind! This chapter is heavy on information, so bear with it.**

**Enjoy!**

Sam hurried towards her second period class, her breezy sleeveless shirt billowing slightly. The final bell had just rung and she still had an entire hallway between her and her destination. She and Marcy had been chatting after first hour—their shared period—and both had hung around a little too long.

Marcy had been trying to convince her to go to the mall after school, but Sam had begged off, claiming to have a "family thing." Marcy had rolled her eyes, then smiled slyly, raising her eyebrows in a knowing way. "Oh, I get it." She winked at Sam. "You're hanging out with Jim after school." Before Sam could protest she had raised her hand. "No, I get it, it's okay." Her tone was dramatic and Sam grinned despite herself. "Hang out with the hot football player and leave me to blow my paycheck all by my lonesome."

She had no way of knowing that shopping trip would ever happen. "Emily James" didn't exist—and in a few days would melt away as though she had never really been there in the first place. Sam couldn't hang out with Marcy and focus on the Trust at the same time; she was almost positive the redhead had nothing to do with the stolen technology…she seemed too normal. Sam actually _liked_ her.

Jane, on the other hand, was a different story. Daniel had filled the rest of them in on his strange little encounter the day before and it made Sam uneasy. She knew Daniel had promised to investigate further and had planned on catching up with him after first, but Marcy had caught her instead.

Had it been Jane mimicking her voice last night on the phone? How had she even done it? The colonel had called a team meeting after that; if what the person on the other end had said was true, someone knew they were there and their cover might very well be blown. They needed to take these guys down immediately.

Sam blushed slightly as she jogged down the hall, remembering what had happened after Daniel and Teal'c had gone to bed.

_A soft rap on the adjoining door in her bedroom caused her to stiffen momentarily before a familiar head had poked around the doorframe. Silver hair glinted in the moonlight and Sam was suddenly glad she had also taken off the mimic device before bed. She knew they weren't technically supposed to, but she just felt so much better without it on._

"_You awake?" His voice was soft as he stepped fully into the room and closed the door behind him._

"_Yeah." Sam didn't tack on a rank, she figured she could just blame it on aftereffects on the device._

_Jack hesitated for a fraction of a second before perching himself on the edge of her bed as she sat up. "You okay?"_

_Sam smiled slightly in the near darkness. "Yes. You?"_

_Jack narrowed his eyes. "I'm worried." He ran a hand through his hair and Sam's lips quirked upwards as she took in his rumpled t-shirt and flannel pajama pants. He was still incredibly attractive, even when coming from a near sleep state._

"_Me too." Neither needed to clarify about what._

_Jack was silent for a long time, playing with a loose thread in Sam's sheets. When his fingers brushed her calf she realized just how close they really were. His nose was a mere four inches from her own, his chest almost touching hers. Sam's breathing hitched and she knew he heard it because his eyes snapped up to meet hers._

_For an instant Sam was positive he was going to kiss her. She felt the air tense around them, saw his eyes darken as they searched her face…at the last second they both half-turned away. Sam's heart was racing and she wondered for a horrible second if he could hear how nervous she was._

"_Carter…" His voice was hoarse and he briefly turned his eyes skyward._

"_Sir." Sam said, once again following their old routine. They had come too close once again and boundaries needed to be reset. Sam felt bile rising in her throat even as she said it. It got more and more painful every time._

_Jack nodded once, still not looking at her. His hand was clenched on her sheets and she wondered if he knew that he was also clutching her ankle. They sat like that for a long time, every once and awhile their eyes met and the boundaries would falter, but, ultimately, he had left and she had fallen asleep alone. _

Sam finally reached her class, relieved to see that the teacher hadn't even arrived yet. She took her seat in the second row and pulled out her notebook, keeping her head down; she was afraid her guilt was written all over her face.

"Hey." She jumped and turned to see who had spoken and found a pair of bright green eyes looking back at her. They belonged to a Mark something—or maybe his name was Matt? She couldn't remember.

"Hey." Sam answered back after looking around to make sure she was the one he was talking to. Her insecurity was even more prevalent than yesterday and a deep fear had begun to worm its way into her stomach. She couldn't place the exact feeling, but the dread that came with it most definitely didn't bode well.

"I like your shirt."

Sam blinked slowly, thrown off by the comment. And, if she were totally honest, by his eyes as well. They were just so green…too green. They reminded her of a cat's eyes right before they attacked. "Thanks?" It came out as more of a question and the guy grinned slightly. She felt her heart skip a beat. His smile seemed familiar.

"No problem. Kind of ethereal…otherworldly." Something flashed in his eyes on the last word and Sam felt her stomach clench. Adrenaline coursed through her; he knew. He knew who she was and he wanted her to.

Sam frowned, feigning ignorance. She couldn't exactly confront him in the middle of Bio. "Thanks." She repeated, voice stronger this time. Something about having her mission right in front of her focused her mind and she was able to push away the teenage part of her for the moment. She turned back around to face the front just as the teacher walked in.

But she could feel his eyes burning into the back of her head.

…

Daniel walked quickly from Study Hall, glancing over his shoulder every few seconds until he reached the boy's bathroom. His talk with Jane hadn't gone exactly as planned, but he was pretty confident she was a member of the Trust. She had been evasive when asked about her personal life and a little too curious about Daniel.

Which, Daniel knew, wasn't a lot to go on, but she had asked one particular question that raised the hair on the back of his neck. "Do you ever think there's more out there than, like, us? I mean, other worlds and stuff?"

Daniel had shrugged and said something about science fiction not really being his thing. She had stared at him for maybe a beat longer than she should have and Daniel could swear she saw right through him. _'Well,'_ he thought as left the restroom and made his way to class. _'I see right through you too.'_

…..

It hadn't been Jack's fault. For some reason, it was very important that the two people staring accusingly at him know that. Jack dismissed it as a side effect of the device; kids cared what people thought. Especially when they were in trouble.

"He started it." Jack said for what felt like the twentieth time.

"Because he called your girlfriend hot?" The assistant principal—a young man in his late twenties with a receding hairline—pursed his lips in one of the most condescending gestures Jack had ever seen.

"She's not my girlfriend." Jack said, hating the traitorous words. "And, no. Because he's an ass who objectifies women."

The principal turned an unflattering shade of purple as though he _could not believe_ a student had just spoken to him like that. The objectifier—a jock on the football team with Jack—just stared sulkily at him, his eye and cheek already turning a nasty shade of purple-yellow.

"This is an offense I can have you expelled for, Mr. Leeds." Jack narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything. He couldn't really afford to be suspended. "But seeing as how you're new, I'm going to let it slide." The assistant principal held up his hand as the jock sputtered a protest. "But if you so much as breathe the wrong way, I'll have you out of here, understand?"

Jack nodded silently, suddenly desperate to leave. He wanted to find Carter and explain before someone else told her first. She wasn't going to be happy.

…..

Teal'c watched the group of teenagers run the laps he had instructed. It wasn't a hard exercise—certainly nothing compared to that of the warrior training on Chulak. But these children were stumbling and giggling and gasping for breath. All were red faced and sweaty, even though several girls and guys had tried to stave off the perspiration.

After what seemed like ages to them, Coach Jones finally blew his whistle and the class filed out towards the locker rooms. Some were grumbling, but most couldn't catch their breath well enough to speak. Teal'c watched them go, shaking his head in slight disappointment. A part of him wished he could stay longer than a few days; show these teenagers what it means to train with honor.

But the bigger part of him wanted to get his team out of these teenage bodies. The effects these devices were having made Teal'c uneasy. The look of utter relief in Daniel Jackson's eyes when he removed the device was worrisome, but it was Major Carter's look of uncertainty as she had checked her reflection before leaving this morning that made his gut clench.

Samantha Carter was among the strongest warriors he knew, rarely second guessing herself and even then it was only when her plan put the rest of them at risk. She did not ask for approval in her looks and she had never looked so sad as she did now.

He had noticed O'Neill displaying a rather alarming disregard for authority and regulations as well. His incident this morning was enough to give credence to Teal'c's misgivings. Something tickled Teal'c's instincts and he could no longer deny that his team was in great danger.

Teal'c was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't hear the soft footsteps behind him until it was too late. He turned, the zat blast hitting him square in the chest and he stiffened, every muscle in his body tensing with electricity. He fell to his knees as darkness edged his vision. Just before he blacked out entirely a face swam into view. Shock spread through his very core as he fell forward, cheek slamming into the hard floor.

'_General Hammond?'_

**TBC**

**A/N: Hope you guys are enjoying! Only a few more chapters left to go. Please R and R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Seen This Before**

**Disclaimer: Sigh. Still not mine.**

**A/N: Sorry about the wait guys! A shippy chapter to make up for it!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as the bell rang for the end of the day. She'd been simultaneously disappointed and thankful that the colonel—Jim—hadn't been in sixth period today. She had heard from a couple of people that the newest football player had almost been suspended for hitting another player. She had heard from a few others why he had been hit. Sam didn't know if she would have been able to keep her control with the colonel; her hormones were all over the place.

She was furious at Jack for putting himself and his cover in harm's way and furious that it appeared he felt he had to defend her. Teenager or not, Sam could handle herself. But some stupid part of her brain liked the idea that he had stood up for her. She _liked_ that he had taken offense and morphed into a knight in shining armor.

But she was still mad.

Sam stepped out into the cool early autumn air and breathed deeply, the faint wood-burning scent calming her down—exactly like it always did. The thought took Sam by surprise. She hadn't taken comfort in that smell in decades…but she had forgotten. She had forgotten that there had been decades that separated this teenage self from her actual self.

Someone bumped into her, but instead of saying something Sam shrunk into herself. What was happening? A wave of dizziness swept over her and she reached out, steadying herself on the wall. It was that moment that Marcy chose to run up to Sam.

"Emily!" Marcy smiled brightly, sounding slightly out of breath. "Hey, so about that mall trip."

"I'm really sorry, Marcy. I don't think I can go." Sam started to back away. Everything seemed so bright and loud, what the hell was happening to her?

Marcy's face swam in front of her as she sighed dramatically. "I know, I know. Family thing." Then she grinned. "So how was study hall?" She nudged Sam gently, but the major still went stumbling backwards. "Oops, sorry."

"It's okay." Sam squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her palms into her eyes. "Listen, Marcy, I'm not feeling-,"

But she was cut off when Marcy saw Jen. "Jen! Jen, come here! Em was just about to regale her romantic tale of study hall!"

Marcy's face seemed huge as she turned back to Sam, the grin she wore widening into a fanged snarl. Sam took one step backwards, her heel teetering on the edge of the school's steps. She saw Marcy take a step towards her and desperation filled Sam. She could no longer remember being an adult, she didn't remember why she was at this school, and she had no explanation for the panic rising inside her.

"Sam?" Marcy reached out a hand, but Sam was too far over the edge. Sam felt herself take one more step backwards then blackness engulfed her.

….

Jack was leaving the school, looking for Daniel, when he spotted Carter standing on the edge of the school steps. She looked pale and she kept shaking her head. Jack looked at the girl she was standing with- the redhead didn't seem to be saying anything to Carter-but his major was nonetheless upset. As Jack made his way over to the two girls something else caught his eye. A boy was standing just inside the school's doors, his bright green eyes shining as he watched the girls.

But Jack didn't get a chance to dwell on the strange guy. As he turned back to Carter he saw her knees buckle and before he knew what he was doing he was running the last few feet and catching her just before she hit the ground. Jack lifted her and turned to the redhead who was looking at him wide-eyed. "If you see a guy with glasses, kinda floppy brown hair, answers to the name Peter—tell him I had to go and he knows where I'll be."

Then he was jogging, trying not to bounce Carter too much, to the student parking lot.

…

Sound and feeling rushed back to Sam all at once. She shot up, gasping for breath, eyes wide and searching. Where was she? In her bedroom at the fake apartment. Where was the last place she remembered being? At the school. How did she get here? She drew a blank.

As the room came into focus and her breathing slowed, she heard a man's faint voice outside her door. She listened closer, but could only make out an agitated tone—no words. But at least now she knew who the owner of the voice was.

Jack came striding back into the room and though his teenage veneer was still in place, he looked haggard. "Hi." Her voice seemed to startle him and he glanced up, his expression shadowed.

"Carter." He glanced away for a moment, his jaw working, then he sat down next to her on the bed. He didn't know how he was supposed to tell her what he'd just found out. "How're you feeling?"

"I feel…really strange, Jack." She wasn't looking at him, so Jack couldn't read her expression, but the nonchalant use of his name took him by surprise. There was also a quality to her voice that he hadn't heard before. She didn't just sound like she had a young voice…she sounded actually _young_. Like years of fighting and bloodshed hadn't jaded her.

"How so?" Jack's brow was furrowed, only half of his attention on her answer. The other half was sorting through his own feelings over the last few days. He hadn't felt too different; his hormones were certainly more active, but other than that not much had changed. He knew that Daniel was feeling an increase in adolescent insecurity, but not to the extent that Carter had been. He wondered if she even remembered being in the Air Force.

"Dizzy and, I don't know. Just kind of blah." She turned her big, liquid eyes on him. "My brain feels like someone has taken a blender to it."

Not good. "Carter, do you remember who I am?"

Sam giggled slightly. "Of course. You're Jack, but everyone at school calls you Jim. Just like they call me Emily."

"Right. Do you remember how you know me?" Jack felt his fingers gripping the blanket, fearing her answer.

She rolled her eyes. "Duh. You're in sixth period with me." She frowned fleetingly. "But I think we were friends before that."

Jack squeezed his eyes closed. This was just what he needed. "Carter…Sam. How old are you?"

"Sixteen." The word hung between them as Jack just stared at her. She was serious; he could tell by the utterly unguarded look in her eyes. What the hell had happened to her? As Jack dropped his gaze away from hers, a faint blue light caught his eye. Her tank top must have twisted when she fell—the light of the mimic device was now visible through her shirt.

He took a deep breath. "Sam, can you take that off?" He nodded his chin towards the device.

Sam looked at him for a long moment, her breathing slow and deep. Then, very slowly, she pulled her legs under her so she was kneeling, her face only half a foot from his own. Then she pulled off the gauzy overshirt she was wearing.

Jack swallowed hard as he realized what she was doing. Her fingers curled around the edge of her tank top, her blue eyes dark and her lips parted. Jack glanced down—just once—before wrenching his eyes away and wrapping his long fingers around her wrists. "Sam." It came out huskier than he'd intended. "Sam, that's not what I meant."

Her eyes searched his face for another long moment, the tension in her body vibrating. "I know."

Jack blinked. "You know?"

"I also know I've wanted this for a long time." Her eyes moved down his torso slowly.

"But you don't know why." Jack hated himself a little bit for even saying it.

Her eyes snapped back to his. "Does that matter? I think I-," She broke off, her cheeks reddening. "No, I don't know why."

Jack held her gaze as he released one of her wrists and slowly reached up. His fingers wrapped around the edge of the mimic device and in his mind he pulled it off of her and said, "This is why," as her memory came rushing back to her. But nothing happened. Jack tugged again as Sam looked down in confusion.

"It's not coming off." His voice was disbelieving.

"What?" Sam pushed his hand away and tried to remove it herself. She may not remember what it was or even who she actually was, but she knew that the glowing thing on her chest should not be stuck. "It's not coming off."

"That's what I just said." They stared at each other for another moment. Jack watched his major chew on her lower lip, then gesture to him.

"What about yours?"

Jack felt his blood run cold. It was bad enough that the only person who could fix this problem was currently experiencing severe memory regression, if not loss, but if he and Daniel were stuck like this too…especially now that he knew Teal'c hadn't returned after school.

Trying his best to keep his hands from shaking, he reached up and tugged at his device. It didn't budge.

"For cryin' out loud!" Sam threw her hands up in exasperation, but Jack barely had time to feel even the slightest bit of surprise before she stiffened, all the color draining from her face. "The Trust." Jack stared at her, hardly daring to believe that her memory was actually coming back. Sam swiveled to face him, her eyes wide and haunted. "She said my name."

"What?" Jack was having trouble keeping up.

"Marcy. She called me Sam. She knew my name." Her voice was dull even to her own ears. She was kicking herself for not seeing it sooner, but how could she have? The girl had acted like a normal teenager. She had given Sam no reason to suspect her.

"The redhead?" Sam just nodded. "Sam, are you remembering anything? Why we're here…who you are?"

Sam pressed her palms into her eyes and shook her head in frustration. "I'm trying. I keep seeing faces—yours mostly." She looked up at him, something flashing through her eyes. "But I know there are people we need to stop and I know this isn't me."

"That's better than nothing, Carter." He smiled for what felt like the first time in ages. "We need to find Daniel. If these things really are stuck, we need to consider the extremely likely possibility our mission's been compromised."

Sam nodded even though she couldn't really remember what the mission was. Her head was pounding and she still felt lightheaded, like a part of her brain had been ripped out. She knew her heart was beating too fast, but she was no longer sure if that was because she was scared or because of the intensity on Jack's face when he looked at her.

Before she could say anything, Jack's phone rang. "General." He said as he flipped the phone open. "Yes, sir, I did hear about Teal'c." He paused. "Sir? They haven't reached out to-," Another pause. "I'm not so sure that's wise, sir." Jack waited, his eyes boring into Sam's. "No, sir. I didn't mean to question a direct order. Yes, sir. I understand, sir." When he hung up, Sam had the distinct feeling he hadn't been the first one to do so.

"The Trust have demanded a ransom. We're meeting with them in half an hour."

Sam worried her teeth against her bottom lip as she watched Jack. Something was off and they both knew it. "Why do I get the feeling we're walking into the lion's den?"

"Because we are." Jack rubbed the back of his neck. He had a major who couldn't remember the last several years of her life, including her training, an archaeologist who was MIA at the moment, and an undercover Jaffa who had been neutralized. "Come on. We have to find Daniel."

Jack pulled her to her feet and led her through the "secret" doors in their apartments. Neither of them noticed they were still holding hands.

**A/N: Sorry again for the delay!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Stuck**

**Disclaimer: On profile.**

**A/N: I haven't had a Stargate dream in years, but last night our favorite team decided to have a starring role in my subconscious fantasies. I think that gave me the jolt I needed because, let me tell you guys, I was running on almost empty, which is why the last chapter was kinda suck-tastic. Hopefully my muse is back in full force though!**

**Enjoy!**

Daniel sat up, blinking in the half-light. He squinted, barely able to make out the outline of the bars enclosing him in his cell. Not only had his captors taken his glasses, they'd also taken his shoes. "Weird." He muttered, surprised at how raspy his voice sounded. How long had he been out for?

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c's deep voice startled the archaeologist, who whipped around, trying to make out the blurred figure of the big man.

"Teal'c." Daniel nodded, finally locating the Jaffa. He was in a cell adjacent to Daniel's. "Sam and Jack?"

The big man shook his head. "They are not here. Perhaps they have managed to evade those that we did not."

"Yeah." Daniel sighed, pressing his hand to the bloody gash on the side of his head. "Perhaps." He continued to apply pressure to the wound, but most of the heavy bleeding had already stopped. "How'd they get you?"

"They came after my class was released. They had a zatnikatel and fired upon me before I knew they were there." Teal'c paused, his jaw working. "Daniel Jackson, I believe General Hammond to be the one who shot me."

Daniel nodded like this was not news to him. "Yeah, I thought I saw him too. Right before some kid from my history class beaned me over the head."

"It was not Jane?"

"Nope. Turns out she thought I looked a lot like some teen celebrity and was convinced I was lying about who I was." Daniel leaned back against the cold stone wall.

"But you were indeed lying, Daniel Jackson." The older man pointed out helpfully.

Daniel grinned despite their current situation. "Yes, but not about being a celebrity." Daniel tried looking around again. "You don't happen to have my glasses, do you?"

"I am afraid not." He heard Teal'c shift so that he was closer to Daniel's cell. "We are in a small room, Daniel Jackson. Four cells are arranged adjacent to one another and there is only one entry point at the top of a small flight of stairs directly in front of your cell."

Daniel closed his eyes, trying to picture everything Teal'c was telling him. If they were going to escape he needed to be able to move with certainty. "How many stairs?"

"Seven." Teal'c answered immediately, his voice low to avoid being overheard. "I have counted only four hostiles, but I do not believe there are more than five total. This is a small operation, Daniel Jackson."

"Yes, but what exactly is the operation?" Daniel wondered more to himself than to Teal'c. "And how is General Hammond involved?"

"I do not believe this to be the real General Hammond."

"You're thinking a mimic device." Daniel nodded in agreement. "But how?"

"Major Carter said that these new devices operate on DNA—users no longer need a machine to copy the likeness of a person." Teal'c kept glancing at the door. He wasn't sure, but he thought he heard someone approaching.

"This is true. So how long has the fake Hammond been in place?" When he was met with only silence he turned to Teal'c to ask again, but was startled to find Teal'c's face very close to his own, staring hard at him through the bars. He slowly raised a finger to his lips then pointed at the door.

Daniel turned just as the door swung open and someone started down the stairs.

…

"Damn." Jack slammed his hand against the wall. They had torn apart Daniel's apartment, but there was no evidence the man had ever returned after school. A small voice kept telling him that he never should have left Daniel alone at school. Another argued that he hadn't had a choice. As long as Carter was involved there would never be a choice.

"He isn't here." The teenage Sam piped up from behind him.

"I know." Jack had to swallow the desire to snap at her. It wasn't her fault that she was now effectively sixteen years old. Jack didn't even want to think about the possibility she might be stuck like this forever. Or the possibility that he and Daniel were next. He hadn't told Carter, but he was also starting to forget what it was like to be an adult.

"So…what now?" She was keeping a good distance from him and Jack wondered if that had something to do with what happened earlier.

"We find them." Jack turned to face her.

"How?" One of her eyebrows was raised skeptically.

"Like we always do, Carter." He tried for a self-assured tone, but it came out flat.

"Well, I'm not really sure what it is that we always do." Sam's gaze was hard as she stared Jack down. "And I really don't appreciate the tone you're taking with me."

Jack blinked at her, too stunned to speak. He briefly wondered if she would be speaking to him like this if he was back in his adult body. _'Probably.'_ He thought with mild amusement. "The tone I'm…" He shook his head. "You're right. I'm just a little-,"

"Frustrated? Confused?" Sam cut across him. "Me too."

"So, we should, what, wait for the calvary? Throw in the towel?" Anger shot through Jack unexpectedly. He was angry that his team had been forced to do this in the first place, angry that two members of said team were missing, angry that his second in command was sixteen years old, and angry that there didn't seem to be a solution to any of these problems. And, unfortunately, this was the kind of anger that didn't discriminate who the target would be.

"I didn't say that." Sam crossed her arms and squared her shoulders, preparing for a fight.

'_If she wants a fight,'_ Jack narrowed his eyes. _'She'll get one.' _"You know what, Carter? You're the smart one, you figure out how we're supposed to fix this thing."

"You do realize that none of this makes any sense to me, right? I don't even know who I am! And now you're telling me that I have to figure out what to do? I don't think so." She half-turned away from him.

Jack took several quick steps toward her, forcing her eyes back to his. "Oh, don't give me that. You're still Carter. You're still in there somewhere."

Sam's heart was pounding in her ears and adrenaline was pumping through her veins. She wanted to laugh and cry, but she also really wanted to hit him. "Of course I am." She snapped. "But how do you propose I fix this?" She swept a hand down her body. "We're stuck like this, Jack! And, I'm sorry, but I don't know what to tell you."

Jack opened his mouth to retort but Sam was suddenly much closer than he remembered and her hands were grabbing his shirt, pulling him even closer. Jack barely had time to think before her lips were pressing into his. After a long, breathless moment, Sam pulled back and glared at him. "Is that how I used to shut you up?"

"I wish." The words were out before Jack could stop them.

"Well, once I'm back to myself, remind me that's how I should do it from now on." Then she turned and marched to the front door, holding it open. "Are you coming?"

Jack blinked incredulously at his major before jogging to the door. "Yes, ma'am."

**TBC**

**A/N: Just a little something before the Trust take focus.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Like Memories In The Dark**

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who has stuck with me on this…interesting…journey! I hope this story has met each and every one of your expectations or, at the very least, provided you with some entertainment.**

**References to 'Solitudes,' 'Divide and Conquer,' 'Fire and Water,' 'Paradise Lost,' and 'Secrets.'**

**Enjoy!**

Sam sat in the passenger seat of Jack's car, staring out the window as they left the city behind them. Jack had said that the address given to Hammond by the Trust was outside of a small town in Vail, up in the mountains. For the life of her, she couldn't remember why Hammond was important or who Teal'c was…besides maybe the guy who taught gym at the school. But why was he involved?

Something was tickling at the back of her mind, like a skeletal finger running its way up her spine and into her cerebral cortex. She could feel memories trying to push their way out and into her mind, but something was blocking them, preventing them from surfacing. Sam squeezed her eyes shut and pressed her forehead against the window, flinching when the cold glass hit her skin.

"_Colonel!" Ice everywhere. Cold, freezing. "I'm coming down!" She slipped on the ice, slamming into the crags in the wall before spinning to a stop near the colonel._

Sam pressed a hand to her head swallowing a gasp. Words and faces flooded through her head, none lasting long enough to identify or categorize.

"_It's my sidearm, I swear." A laugh in the darkness._

"_I wouldn't leave because…I'd have rather died myself than lose Carter…because I care about her. A lot more than I'm supposed to." A blinking light and pounding heart._

"_Sam!" Daniel's face, through fire. "Help me!"_

Sam pushed herself against the back of her seat, hand reaching for the armrest. She tried to grab onto something real, something solid—anything that would bring her back to reality and away from this onslaught of memories.

"_Are you all right, Major Carter?" Teal'c's concerned face grew clear for a moment. "Have you given up hope of finding O'Neill?"_

"_I have cancer, Sam." Her father, his expression blurred as tears filled her eyes._

"_Carter!"_

Sam's eyes snapped open. The car was no longer moving and her field of vision was partially obstructed by the concerned teenage face of Jack O'Neill. "Carter! Come on, snap out of it."

"Sir?" Her voice was tentative, halting; her eyes searching his face. "I—I think I remember."

"Remember what?" He tried to slow his heart rate, but after watching Carter have a near seizure for the last several minutes he wasn't sure his heart would ever return to normal.

"Everything. Or most of everything. You, me, my life, the Stargate program." She took a shaky breath and clenched her hands together. "Whoa, that was intense."

"I'll say. You gonna be okay?" Jack resisted the urge to touch her; if she remembered who she was, he no longer had any excuse for anything…inappropriate.

"Yes, sir." Sam licked her lips, wishing she were as confident as she sounded.

Jack watched her for another minute before starting the car and pulling back onto the road. They needed to be at the meet-point in less than twenty minutes.

They were running out of time.

….

"Look," Daniel said, rubbing his forehead. All the squinting he was doing was really starting to give him a headache. "If you would just tell us what you want maybe we could help you. You don't need to involve Sam and Jack."

"I don't think so, Dr. Jackson." His captor, a man who looked to be in his mid forties, stared hard at him. Bright green eyes watched him unblinkingly. "What we need relies heavily on the four of you being together."

"The four of us." Daniel repeated tonelessly. That didn't sound good. He couldn't even begin to imagine what the Trust wanted from _them_. This whole time he'd thought the Trust were hiding out, stealing technology and laying low…not planning to capture them.

"You are making a grave error." Teal'c's posture was tense as he knelt on the ground. He wanted nothing more than to stand and break the little man's neck; but the ropes that lashed his wrists to his ankles prevented him from doing anything.

"You know, I don't think we are." A young girl entered the small, half-buried bunker they were in. She didn't look older than sixteen or seventeen, but the two men knew better. Daniel recognized her as Sam's friend Marcy, from first period. He felt the smallest amount of surprise; Sam had seemed so convinced she had nothing to do with it.

"Doctor Jackson, Teal'c." She greeted, a small smile curving her lips. She reached under her shirt and pulled off her mimic device—something Daniel had discovered he was unable to do—her appearance wavering for a few seconds, before settling into a slightly heavier woman with the same curly red hair.

"That's us." Daniel frowned, eyes flicking around the small room for the hundredth time, as though he would suddenly be able to see. "The question is, who're you?"

"I'm hurt. You don't recognize us?" The woman smirked. "I'm former Lieutenant Lisa Schrader. But, it's just Lisa now, I was forcibly removed from SG-11 two years ago. That's former Lieutenant Lewis Marks, also removed from an SG team when the NID was first found out."

Daniel looked between the two, but didn't recognize either. He didn't like to admit it, but being on SG-1 put him in a rather elite position—he didn't have to know everyone on the other SG teams.

"What is your purpose here?" Teal'c's abrupt question seemed to catch Lisa off guard and she blinked several times before answering.

"Funny you should ask." She glanced at her watch. "And your timing's perfect. They should be here any second." As if in response the low rumble of an engine reached their ears. "Speak of the devils." Lisa jerked her head and Marks nodded once before walking to the door and stepping out into the sunlight.

Daniel glanced at Teal'c and saw the big man's jaw working, like he was fighting extremely hard not to say anything. Maybe he was going to yell out to Sam and Jack? Warn them? _'It's not like they don't know what they're walking into.'_ His second thought almost had him smiling with the irony. _'Though I don't even know what they're walking into and I'm already here.'_

…..

Sam saw Marks first, her hand almost going to the gun hidden in her waistband. She felt Jack stiffen next to her and she knew he'd seen him too. "Hi there!" He called out, waving cheerily to the green eyed man. _'His eyes…_' Sam recognized him after a moment—her brain was still trying to work through all the faces and names she knew. Memories kept popping up, but she was doing her damndest to keep herself focused. _'He's the guy from Bio. The guy who said something about my shirt.'_

"Colonel O'Neill. Major Carter." The man didn't smile, not that they expected him to. "I'm glad to see you both follow directions like good little puppies."

"You son of a-," Sam started, but Jack laid a hand on her arm and shook his head minutely. Sam bit her lip, falling silent.

"Manners, major." Marks wagged his finger at her. "Both of you, turn around." When neither officer moved, Marks rolled his eyes and pulled out his zat, gesturing at them. "Now." Sam and Jack looked at each other before also rolling their eyes and turning with their hands raised. "Apparently, not as good as I hoped." He commented, a hard edge in his voice. "Guns? Like we weren't going to look for them?" He sighed in disgust, tossing both of their weapons far into the trees. "Now, let's go. Move."

Sam glanced at Jack and smiled slightly, the cold edge of her knife rubbing against her ankle. The colonel had been right—once the guns were found, the lackey had stopped looking. Jack grinned back and despite their situation Sam felt her heart flutter. _'Sg-1 one, Trust zero.'_

**TBC**

**QUESTION: I just rewatched 'Out of Mind' and 'Into the Fire' and did anyone else notice just how much Sam and Jack touch each other in these episodes? Or am I just looking for shippiness?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Grand Plan**

**A/N: Thank you once again everyone! Now we must see what the Trust's true intentions are…**

**Enjoy!**

"Well, hey guys." Jack said, false surprise entering his jovial tone."Fancy meeting you here."

"Hey, Jack. "Daniel grimaced at the two new arrivals. "Sam."

"O'Neill. You should not have come." Teal'c was staring at Marcy and Marks as if he could kill them with his thoughts.

"Because we had a choice." Jack replied sarcastically, glancing around the small bunker. There was no real furniture, but something resembling a rickety table stood off to the far side. On it was a small laptop, several test tubes, and what looked like a centrifuge. Jack glanced over at Sam and saw she was also studying the table, a small frown creasing her brow. She glanced back at him and shook her head grimly.

Whatever that equipment was going to be used for it was nothing good.

"Bring them next to the others." A woman's voice drifted over from a dark corner of the room. Marks shoved the two officers to their knees and began tying them up in the same fashion as Teal'c and Daniel.

"Marcy." Sam's voice was taught with anger and her eyes burned beneath her bangs.

"Hello, Sam. It's Lisa, actually." An older woman with red hair stepped forward into the light, a cruel smile tugging at her mouth. "You had me worried after school; I was concerned you wouldn't make it. And we really need you alive."

"That's comforting." Sam rolled her eyes and glared at the woman. "And what exactly do you need from us?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Because people like you love to gloat. And what do you have to lose? You have us where you want us, we're helpless."

"Even though I know that's sarcasm, Major," Lisa moved to the table. "You're right. I do have you right where I want you. But I'm not going to tell you. Not just yet."

"Then tell us why we're trapped like this." Daniel's voice was soft, but angry.

"Trapped?" Lisa blinked innocently, teasing them.

"Stuck in a teenage body." Daniel's eyes snapped to where he imagined Lisa's to be. "You can tell us that."

Lisa paused, considering him for a moment. "Fine. In this teenage form your hormones are greater in strength and that acts as a catalyst for what we need."

"Our hormones?" Jack, who had been silent during the exchange, piped up. "What exactly does puberty have to do with this?"

"Like I said," Lisa turned a hard gaze onto the colonel. "I'm not ready to divulge that." She turned away and began typing at her computer. "Yet."

Sam glanced at Jack, her mouth set in a hard line. Memories were still bombarding her mind, but at a manageable level now. The one that just popped up worried her though. She remembered when Machello had left a booby trapped device that sent out little nasty buggers that got into your bloodstream and made you go crazy in their attempt to rid you of a nonexistent Goa'uld.

She had been immune because the protein marker in her blood signified that a Goa'uld had died within her. Because of her immunity she had had to use a centrifuge to separate her own red and white blood cells and cure the others who had been infected.

She didn't know what that centrifuge was for, but she had a nasty feeling the Trust was going to need their blood. And whatever they were separating out was made stronger by elevated levels of certain hormones. _'What are they looking for?'_ Sam wondered, biting her lips, looking around at her teammates. _'Why do they need all of us? What do we have that-,'_ She cut herself off as an idea hit her.

A horrifying idea.

"Sam?" Daniel couldn't see her very well, but her body was radiating tension all of a sudden. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She answered quickly, staring hard at Daniel and minutely shaking her head. Not that Daniel could see it. Still, he got the point and remained silent—but fear was suddenly flooding his veins. She had figured something out.

And it had scared her.

…

An hour later saw SG-1 still sitting in their bound postures, muscles aching and bone tired. Lisa and Marks had been talking quietly for the last thirty minutes, too low for anyone to overhear. "Dammit!" Lisa exclaimed, slamming her hand down on her desk.

"Well, that's what you get for doing this without authorization!" Marks shouted at her.

"I didn't see you arguing when I offered you this position!" Lisa rounded on him, hands balled into fists.

"I didn't know how far out of our realm we would be! I mean," He glanced at the four people across the room and lowered his voice. "This is SG-1, for God's sake."

"And look how easy they were to manipulate." Lisa rubbed her temples. "Okay, this isn't a problem. I'll just make a few calls and we'll be back on track in no time." She grabbed her satellite phone and stormed from the room, muttering under her breath. "I can't believe they locked me out."

"Trouble in paradise?" Jack quipped, raising his eyebrows at Marks.

"Shut up." Marks raised his zat and pointed it at Sam. "Or I'll shoot your little girlfriend."

"Hey—" Jack started, but Sam cut across him, body jerking like she had tried to stand.

"Oh, please. I may not look it, but I _am_ Major Samantha Carter of the United States Air Force. I've fought enemies more horrible than you can imagine and people way more evil than you. You think you're so smart and that your plan is innovative, well, I hate to burst your bubble but you are so far down on the totem pole you're not even worth mentioning. The only reason we're still here is so we can watch firsthand how miserably you're going to fail." She paused to take a breath, her eyes flashing with fury. "And all this is coming from his _little _girlfriend. Just imagine what I'd be like full grown."

Marks' mouth opened and closed several times while Sam just glared at him, her lips curling into a smile. When he still didn't respond, her smile grew wider. "And trust me," She leaned in, her hair falling over her shoulder. "You won't have to imagine for much longer."

Marks sputtered something unintelligible before running from the bunker, slamming the door behind him. Sam scoffed. "Probably running off to tell on me to _his_ little girlfriend."

She turned to look at her team, all of whom were staring at her in shock; except for Teal'c. He was practically beaming at her. "Whoa." Daniel said.

"Yeah." Jack agreed, staring at his major like he'd never seen her before. "Intense, Carter."

"Well, just because I look like a teenager doesn't mean he gets to treat me like one." She shrugged, her eyes still glinting with malevolence. "When we get out of this, he's mine."

"You know, Carter, under normal circumstances I wouldn't admit this, but you're kind of scary." Jack was still staring reverently at her.

"Blame it on the hormones. Usually I'm in better control." Sam shrugged again, blowing her bangs off her forehead, her anger slipping away.

"Remind me not to piss you off." Jack grinned at her and was rewarded with a small smile in return.

Daniel paused for a second, letting the two have their moment. Then he broke in, "Sam…earlier when you were staring at the table…you know something, don't you?"

Sam bit her lip and turned to look at each one of her teammates—her friends. "I do."

Daniel waited for her to continue and gently prodded her when she remained silent. "Sam, whatever it is can't be that bad."

Sam laughed without humor. "It is, Daniel. It really is."

"What is?" Jack's voice was soft, but impatient. His kept looking at the door—any minute those two goons would come waltzing back in there and conversation would have to come to a halt.

"Well, think about it. What do we each have that might be desirable to someone in the Trust's position? What makes us different?" She paused and looked at them all significantly before continuing. "Daniel, you've ascended, meaning there is probably something buried in your genes that was left over from your time as an ascended being. Sir, you have the ancient gene, Teal'c you have a larval Goa'uld, and I have a protein marker from the Tok'ra."

"And? But? So?" Jack looked from her to Daniel, who looked like he just ate something sour.

"They wish to create a hoc'tar." Teal'c frowned.

"In a manner of speaking. Sir, between the four of us we represent some of the biggest powers in the galaxy." Sam looked at the ground, her already fair skin very pale. "I think they're going to try to create some sort of super-human. Something that, if successful, would prove invincible to everything in the galaxy."

"And Earth would finally be safe from the rest of the universe." Lisa intoned as though finishing a fairytale. "I knew you were too smart for you own good." She moved into the room and began typing again. "Not that it really matters. You're too late to do anything. Jennifer, Alissandra, you know what you need to do." Two girls filed into the room and Sam was horrified to see that it was the two girls from school. They had all been involved. And she hadn't suspected any of them.

Another memory flashed in front of her eyes; she saw the foothold situation at the SGC a few years ago. She hadn't suspected anyone until it was too late.

A sharp jab brought Sam back to the present. She tried to jerk away, but the ropes that bound her wrists held her fast. Similar scuffling next to her told her that her teammates were also struggling, trying to get away from the two girls wielding needles, however unsuccessfully.

As they deposited the blood into the centrifuge, Lisa smiled pitilessly at SG-1. "Welcome to our brave new world."

And the centrifuge began to spin.

**TBC**

**A/N: Let me know what you think!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: The Great Escape**

**A/N: Winding down! Hope you guys have enjoyed this so far!**

**Enjoy!**

Everything felt like it was going in slow motion. Sounds stretched out and blended together, rising into one long scream as the shadows grew thicker and darkness began to fall over the mountain. Sam ducked as glass flew over her head, exploding into thousands of tiny shards like daggers; they pricked her skin even as she tried to shy away.

She could no longer see her team, even though the room could be no bigger than one hundred square feet. She heard screams and yells but she couldn't distinguish one from another—she couldn't even make out her own cries. A sound like a jet engine and more glass raining down, the fiery sunset turning them into molten flecks of lava.

Sam rolled to her left, glass crunching under her shoulder. "Colonel! Daniel! Teal'c!" Her throat was raw from screaming. What the hell had happened? The centrifuge had been separating the basic structures of their blood for hours. Sam had watched the vials spinning round and round until she became dizzy. Then it had stopped and Lisa had begun adding chemicals, taking samples…but something had gone wrong.

Horribly wrong.

Lisa had injected herself first, her greed and impatience outpacing her caution. Everything had seemed fine for the first few minutes, but even as Alissandra and Jennifer injected themselves it was clear something was off. Lisa had begun to shake and her pallor went gray; she kept trying to talk, but all that would come out was a thin, high-pitched screech.

By then, it was too late. The two other girls had already emptied their vials and were beginning to show the same symptoms. Sam tried to call out to them, tried to calm them, but they were too far gone. Whatever was in those needles had changed them all right…but it still wasn't clear into what.

It had only been a few minutes, but the bunker was already smashed to hell, the windows broken and the ceiling splintered and dripping with blood. Sam shuddered to think whose blood it was. Before all hell had broken loose, Daniel had tried to talk to Marks, tried to get him to release SG-1 from their bonds. He had tried to reason with the man, saying they could help, that if he didn't untie them he was putting a whole lot of people in danger.

But it was no use.

Before Marks could even move towards them, Lisa had come flying at him, knocking him forcefully through the air and careening into the door. The door had bowed outwards, cracking under the weight of his airborne body, and he had gone crashing into the woods beyond.

A millisecond of silence had followed. Sam had just enough time to find Jack's eyes, before a shadow had fallen over him. Then a figure had blocked her sightline and that was the last time she had seen him.

Something skidded into her knee and Sam looked down, hoping to God that it wasn't a body part. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the flash of a silver blade and a black hilt. It was a knife, just like the one she had in her boot.

Just like the one Colonel O'Neill had.

"Sir!" Sam screamed, tasting blood in her mouth. A loud crash, followed by an inhuman scream answered her. Without pausing to think, Sam flipped over and grabbed the knife with her bound hands. As quickly as she could, she began to saw at the ropes hog-tying her. After a few seconds she kicked her feet free and quickly tensed her core, bringing her still tied hands under her legs and in front of her. Her stiff shoulders screamed in pain, but she ignored it.

Turning the blade, she cut through her remaining bonds and rolled to her knees, looking around the dimly lit, dusty bunker. She couldn't make out any one figure, but dark shadows were moving swiftly through the debris, their alien screeches echoing into the night.

Why couldn't she see her team?

She crawled to the overturned table and pressed her back against it. There were still three creatures out there, her team was missing, and her only weapon was a knife. _'You've faced worse.'_ Jack's voice echoed in her head. She had long ago accepted his to be her voice of reason under pressure. _'Now move, Major.'_ Sam tightened her grip on the hilt of the knife and spun, kicking away the table, only to come face to face with General Hammond.

….

Daniel blinked rapidly, trying to make out the shapes around him. _'Trees…they look like trees…'_ He thought blearily. His eyes stung and he blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what was dripping into them. A few drops of dark liquid fell onto the leaves that were strewn about the ground and Daniel swallowed hard. Blood. He was bleeding from somewhere above his right eye.

Ignoring the pain he tried to sit up, looking around at the darkening landscape. How had he gotten outside? He whipped around as a roar from behind him shook the trees, sending birds scattering in all directions. Daniel ducked as a sudden explosion blew out the back wall of the bunker, flames leaping high into the trees.

"Teal'c! Sam! Jack!" He screamed, struggling to remove his ropes, but they held fast. _'What the hell was that?'_

…

Teal'c didn't know how it happened, but his ropes no longer seemed to be as tight and he yanked, pulling free from the cords. He called out for his friends, but was only answered with screams. He turned just as something heavy and solid slammed into his chest. He stumbled but didn't fall, his hands automatically reaching up to block the claws that were coming at his face.

Teal'c twisted, sending the thing that used to be Jennifer flying into the table, knocking it over. He thought he caught a glimpse of Major Carter's blonde hair, but the next second Jennifer was running at him, her mutated jaw hanging open, viciously sharp teeth gleaming in the dusty sunset. What had their blood done to these people? They looked half-animal.

She launched herself at Teal'c again, but he side-stepped her, letting the creature go flying past. He turned, eyes searching the dim corners for his friends when an acrid smell reached his nose. He had time to turn, his mind screaming for him to get down, before the world was engulfed in flames and an explosion rocked the night.

…..

Jack watched Carter's bright blue eyes widen as Marks was thrown through the heavy wooden door, burnt sunlight streaming in from the gaping hole he'd left. He watched as she'd turn to meet his gaze, her expression full of horror and anger and something else that Jack couldn't quite name. Then he'd watched as her gaze was cut off by the looming figure of Lisa, her eyes burning with hatred and her fingers crackling as they elongated.

Jack's eyes widened as she raised her arm, her intent clear—she was going to gut him. Jack threw himself to the ground just as her arm swung down, claws poised to kill. He cried out as her razor sharp nails arced across his back, pain blazing through every nerve in his body, his vision darkening.

It was the unexpected feeling of looseness in his arms that brought him back from the brink of unconsciousness. He tested his arms and found that they were no longer tied and a quick look down showed shredded ropes at his feet, along with a mangled boot. He kicked the shoe off, sending it flying across the room. Not only had Lisa done a number on his back, she'd also accidentally cut through his bonds.

Without looking to see if she was still behind him, Jack launched himself to his feet and ran to place he'd last seen Carter. The only thing he found there were shards of glass and streaks of blood. "Carter! Sam!" He yelled, ducking down and turning around. It was too dim, too dusty. There was too much going on, there was no way she was going to hear him.

Jack turned just as a bitter smell reached his nose. _'Fire.'_ He thought. Then he was flying backwards as the blast's concussion slammed into him.

…

Silence settled over the mountain like a heavy blanket. No insects chirped, no birds sang, the wind even seemed to be taking a break. Daniel opened his eyes, trying his best to blink away the ash that had settled on his eyelashes. A soft footstep to his right caused him to whirl, squinting to see who it was. A flash of gold caught his eye. "Teal'c?"

"Daniel Jackson." Teal'c stepped forward and knelt, fingers deftly working on the knots that bound the archaeologist. "Are you injured?"

"No, I was outside when the bunker exploded. What the hell was that?" Daniel gingerly touched his wrists where the ropes had rubbed the skin raw and nodded his thanks to Teal'c.

"A mixture of several different chemicals was set ablaze. I do not know its origin." Teal'c pulled Daniel to his feet. "Do you know the locations of O'Neill and Major Carter?"

Daniel looked at Teal'c for a long moment. The last time the mimic devices had been used, Teal'c couldn't be copied. But this time…"Teal'c, what does Jack call your symbiote?"

Teal'c tilted his head to the side, but seemed to understand what Daniel was doing. "Junior." He said the name like it didn't quite fit comfortably in his mouth.

Daniel smiled. "Right. Sorry." Teal'c nodded once then turned to survey the area. Daniel turned too. "Jack! Sam!" Teal'c glanced back at him as though debating whether or not shouting was such a good idea. Daniel just shrugged and kept calling.

"Here!" A muffled male voice called, followed by the distinct crunch of underbrush. "Danny-boy, Teal'c." Jack greeted as he came out of the trees covered in soot and wood splinters, but otherwise no worse for the wear.

"Jack." Daniel said, surprised.

"What?" Jack narrowed his eyes at the younger man.

"Nothing. I mean, I don't have my glasses, but…you look older." When Jack raised his eyebrows Daniel hurried to correct himself. "I _mean_, you look back to your normal age."

Jack looked like he wanted to make a sarcastic comment, but instead said, "Yeah, so are you."

"What?" Daniel looked down, but couldn't really see a difference. He turned to Teal'c. "You didn't feel the need to mention this?"

Teal'c looked briefly at the archaeologist before turning back to the trees. "It did not seem important."

"Of course not." Daniel muttered, more to himself than anyone else.

Jack followed Teal'c's gaze. "Carter?"

Daniel briefly closed his eyes before turning to Jack, shaking his head sadly.

"The last I saw of her she was inside the bunker." Teal'c's voice was hard, but without tone. He didn't want O'Neill to know his true concern for Major Carter. The explosion had emanated from the place he'd last seen her.

"Yeah." Jack rubbed a hand down his face. "We have to look for her. Any chance those _things_ survived too?"

"I do not know."

"Okay. Search pattern—," But Jack cut himself off as his eye was drawn to where his truck was. Another car was parked next to it. A familiar car. "What is General Hammond's car doing here?"

But he was already putting the pieces together. The strange way he'd reacted, or rather hadn't reacted, to Carter calling him Uncle George, the strange way he'd told Jack about Teal'c and the ransom, the lack of back up…

Hammond was involved. Or, at least, someone who looked like him.

"Yeah, we didn't get a chance to tell you." Daniel grimaced. "We think someone's been using a mimic device to pose as Hammond."

Jack nodded. "We need to find him too."

"Jack." Daniel hesitated, looking at the colonel. He knew that Jack would tear the galaxy apart to find Sam, but if the Trust had infiltrated enough to get to Hammond, it might be more dangerous than he thought. "I know you want to find Sam, but we need to be careful."

"Daniel. We are going to find her. I don't care what it takes." Jack refused to meet either of his friends' eyes. "Understood?"

Before Daniel could respond, a scream echoed across the clearing.

"Carter." Jack whispered, before tearing towards the sound.

**TBC**

**A/N: One more chapter!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: High School Never Ends**

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read this little story! I hope you have had as much fun reading it as I have writing! Here's to keeping Stargate and SG-1 alive!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam pressed her back against the tree, trying to get as far away as possible from the shrieking, writhing _thing_ on the ground. Matted red curls threaded with dirt and leaves brushed against Sam's leg and she shuddered, still trying to push herself away from what had once been Lisa. Her hands and ankles were bound again and try as she might she couldn't break free.

At least she wasn't stuck in a teenager's body anymore. She could tell by the way her shirt barely skimmed her midriff and the shorts that suddenly seemed way too short.

The shadowy figure of General Hammond stood over Lisa, shaking his head in disappointment. "You had such potential. Ah, well." He pulled out a zat and pointed it at the creatures face.

"Don't." Sam tried to protest, but the creature's shrieking drowned her out. Hammond squeezed the trigger and Lisa went still with one last piercing scream. A cruel smile curled Hammond's lips and Sam knew what he was going to do a second before he did it. "No, don't!" She yelled, but it was too late. He fired again and, though there was no physical change, Sam knew she was dead.

A third shot and she was gone. Sam stared at the spot where Lisa had been, her eyes wide. "Why did you do that?" Her voice was barely above a whisper. In the distance she heard the colonel calling her name. "Why did you kill her?"

"She made a mess of things. She was impatient and impulsive and I can't have that kind of person on my team." Hammond turned towards Sam, but didn't lower the zat.

Sam glared at him. "I think it's beyond clear that you're not General Hammond. Who are you?"

"What gave it away?" The imposter smiled at her and brandished the weapon.

"Well, for one, the real General Hammond would never have tied me up. And he would never have killed that woman. Where is the real general? Did you kill him?" Sam struggled against her bonds. She was really tired of this rope thing.

"I assure you he's alive. Though I cannot speak for his condition."

Sam could hear her friends' voices drawing closer and she briefly wondered if the imposter could too. He certainly didn't seem too concerned. "Who are you?" She spoke loudly, presumably out of anger, but she was hoping her voice carried through the trees enough that her friends would hear.

"All four of you would have been ideal." The stranger continued as though she hadn't spoken. "But you, I must admit, are the most fascinating to me. You always have been." Sam narrowed her eyes, but remained silent. The man smiled. "I suppose there's no harm in showing you who I am." His eyes glittered. "After all, you won't live to actually tell anyone."

He reached under his collar and removed his mimic device. Despite everything she had steeled herself for, Sam gasped. _'It couldn't be…'_

…..

Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c crouched behind a large boulder at the edge of a clearing. They could see Sam, but they couldn't see whoever she was talking too. Jack was relieved when he caught a glimpse of short blonde hair; her device was gone too.

"I cannot see who has Major Carter hostage." Teal'c whispered, his jaw set.

"Me neither." Jack winced slightly. She looked okay, but there was something about the sudden rigidness of her posture that worried him. "Weapons?" He looked at Daniel and Teal'c but both shook their heads.

"I have a stick." Daniel looked down at the flimsy piece of wood, his expression doubtful.

"I do not believe that will be a great help." Teal'c bowed his head, also looking doubtfully at the stick.

"Nice, guys." Jack rolled his eyes and looked back at his Major. She was staring straight at him. "Uh oh." Her eyes were wide as she opened her mouth to warn them, but a burst of blue energy surrounded her and she slumped sideways.

"Carter…" Jack growled low in his throat but held his position. Maybe whoever had Carter hadn't heard them. Maybe their position was still—

A zat blast hit the rock in front of them.

Nope. Not secure.

"Jack." Daniel whisper-shouted.

"Hold positions. Keep your heads down. He's going to have to move if he wants to hit us and that may give us an advantage." Jack ducked down and pressed against the rock. He needed to get them out of there and he needed to get Carter. If that son of a bitch missed and hit her again…

Jack risked a glance around the backside of the boulder and tried to get a glimpse of Sam, but he couldn't see her. "Damn." He muttered.

"O'Neill." Teal'c came up next to him, barely flinching as a zat blast went over his head. "Major Carter's position should be visible from here."

Jack turned and took a longer look this time. Teal'c was right. That was the tree Carter had been up against. There were marks in the dirt in front of the trunk, but he couldn't tell if they were footprints or drag marks. But Carter was most definitely not there.

"Jack. The zat…" Daniel was whispering and it took Jack a minute to figure out why. The woods had gone quiet again.

"Crap." Jack glanced at the dark trees surrounding them. Either their attacker had taken Carter and bolted or…

A sharp crack sounded to his right.

Or they were trying to sneak up on them.

The three men turned just as a figure materialized from the shadows-a familiar figure pointing a nine millimeter and a zat gun at them.

"Major Carter!" Teal'c half-shouted.

Sam cocked her head to the side and grinned before raising the gun and pointing it between Jack's eyes.

…..

Sam leaned against a tree, rubbing her wrists and wincing when her fingers hit raw skin. Shaking her hands out, she retrieved the knife from her waistband and kicked the severed ropes aside. Even though she hated the fact her team was under attack, she was thankful for the distraction. She had been able to crawl away and cut herself loose. Even though she was still woozy from the zat.

She heard zat blasts to her right and knew that bastard hadn't gotten her team yet. He was afraid and he wasn't used to combat situations. She looked around for a weapon, hoping against hope he had left a zat or a gun, but no such luck. She spied a relatively large rock a little ways away and shrugged. It would have to do.

Sam crept forward, keeping her body bent. It wouldn't stop her from being spotted, but it made her feel better. She approached the dark tree line where the zat fire was originating from. She couldn't see him, but she knew he was there. That son of a bitch…

Sam paused as the firing stopped and the woods were dead quiet. Her heart pounding in her throat, Sam squinted, trying to use her peripheral vision to catch a glimpse of him. There! He was standing less than ten feet in front of her, both arms raised. _'Two weapons.' _Sam followed his sights and felt her heart rise into her throat. He had a gun pointed straight at Jack's head.

….

Jack swallowed hard, staring down the barrel of the gun his Major was pointing at him. Except there was no way this was Sam. The expression on her face was twisted with rage and her eyes burned furiously. He blinked slowly, brain trying to figure out the puzzle piece he was missing.

She was going to pull the trigger.

He closed his eyes waiting for the bullet to hit him—waiting for the hot, tearing pain that would no doubt be the last thing he felt. He would never get to see his team in the Stanley Cup, he would never see the new Simpsons movie, and he would never get to see Sam as she woke up after—

There was a strangled cry and Jack's eyes snapped open. He watched with wide eyes as Carter fought…Carter. The two women struggled as the three men just sat there, staring. What the hell was going on?

One of the Carter's had a knife and the other one seemed to be completely without weapons, so the weaponless one should be his Sam, right? But Jack wasn't sure. His Sam had had a knife earlier and the weaponless one could have been disarmed by the knife wielding one. And to make it worse, they were both wearing the same outfit.

"Jack." Daniel was also staring at the two fighting women, but Jack had a feeling Daniel wasn't having the same…thoughts…that he was. "Shouldn't we do something?"

Jack rolled his eyes and without really thinking shouted, "Carter!"

Only one of the women turned her head and the second her eyes crashed into Jack's he knew. The one with the knife was his Carter—his Sam.

Unfortunately, the fake Carter took advantage of her distraction and kneed her in the stomach. Sam exhaled sharply and turned back to the fight.

"Sorry." Jack called, grimacing when both Daniel and Teal'c gave him a 'way to go' look.

Sam slammed her fake self's head onto the ground and drew back her arm, summoning every single fiber of anger she could muster, then let her fist fly. She connected with a satisfying crack and the imposter lay still beneath her. Sam rolled away and quickly clambered to her feet.

"Nice." Jack stood and jogged to his Major. His arms twitched like he was going to hug her, but instead he patted her on the back. Sam wiped her forehead and smiled up at him, her face alive with adrenaline. "You okay?"

She nodded, trying to slow her breathing. She turned towards the prone figure and watched as Daniel gingerly removed the device from under her shirt. The figure wavered for a second, then settled into the form of one Robert Kinsey.

"Kinsey?" Jack and Daniel exclaimed at the same time. Teal'c raised an eyebrow, but did not appear surprised.

"Yeah." Sam answered, still slightly out of breath. She didn't notice it before, but she realized she was leaning against the colonel's shoulder, her head almost resting on his chest. But she didn't straighten or move away. Not yet at least. "He's been running this whole operation, posing as General Hammond to get us into the teenage forms, then to bring us here."

"The real Hammond?" Jack asked, trying and failing to ignore the way she was leaning against him.

"Alive, but I'm not sure where." Sam looked up at him, her eyes shining. "I'm glad you're okay." Jack smiled down at her, but before he could respond a small cough startled both of them. "Um, you too Daniel. And Teal'c, of course." Sam smiled guiltily at them, a blush creeping up her neck.

"Whatever." Daniel rolled his eyes, but there was no offense in his tone. "Come on." He gestured to Teal'c. "Might as well take," He wrinkled his nose at Kinsey. "_This_ back to the cars." He and Teal'c lifted the Senator and began carrying him through the trees, but Daniel took a turn too fast and banged Kinsey's head on a tree trunk. "Oops." He smiled sheepishly, but "accidentally" did it again.

When Daniel and Teal'c had walked a good distance, Jack moved to stand in front of Sam. "Carter…"

"I'm fine, sir, really."

Jack searched her eyes, but finally relented. They stood in silence for a moment as Jack tried to find a way to word what he knew he had to say. "Carter, about earlier…I was under the influence of those things and…"

He broke off as Sam started to laugh. "No, sir, I don't think you were." Her blue eyes were filled with humor as she turned and began walking towards the cars. "Of all of us, I'd say you were the least affected."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Jack followed her after a moment. When his only response was another laugh, he mock frowned. "I was most certainly affected."

Sam stopped and turned to look at him, her expression unreadable. "So, you didn't mean anything you said or did?"

Jack's eyes widened and he sputtered. "I, uh, no. That's—that's not what I meant. Um, I…" He trailed off as a smile broke over Sam's face and she shook her head.

"That's what I thought." She winked at him and Jack had to physically place his hands in his pockets to keep from grabbing her right there.

'_Two can play that game.'_ He narrowed his eyes at her. "Nice outfit, Carter." He grinned when she blushed, but her head tilted playfully.

"I remembered how much you liked my 'sweet little tank top number.'" She smiled mischievously at him and his jaw dropped.

They walked a little further in silence and as they neared the clearing near the cabin Jack glanced over at his major. "So…Sam." She turned to look at him, a smile still playing over her lips. "Feel like fishing?"

**End**

**A/N: Thank you again! **


	14. Bonus

**Bonus Chapter: Passing Notes**

**A/N: This one is all for the wonderfully persistent Tel Nok Shock! I was ready to let this story go, but you just wouldn't let me. And I'm glad you didn't! I hope you are too!**

**Enjoy!**

Sam sat at the briefing room table, hands clenched on her thighs and mouth set in a hard, grim line. She looked to her left where her commanding officer sat, his own hands splayed flat on the table and his eyes blazing in fury. Across the table from her Daniel and Teal'c were sitting in stunned silence and even though he was sitting calmly, Sam could tell that General Hammond—the real one—was furious.

"With absolutely no respect, sir." Jack's sudden outburst startled Sam and everyone else at the table, it seemed. "Kinsey should have zero immunity, I don't give a damn about his _vice_ presidential status." Jack slammed his hand on the table and Sam swallowed hard, suddenly afraid for what his anger could cost them. All of them.

The SGC was already under severe scrutiny from the IOA, not to mention the…unorthodox…methods of their last mission. A mission that had led to "inappropriate" relations between herself and the colonel. And a mission that had led them to discover just how dirty Kinsey was.

But why shouldn't he be angry? Woolsey and the Secretary of Defense were sitting at the far end of the briefing table with sour expressions on their faces. They were suggesting—no, demanding—that this incident be erased from any official reports and thoroughly buried. Vice President Kinsey was to be reinstated in his political position until the next term, under "close supervision," of course.

"Do I have to remind anyone that we found General Hammond _locked_ in his basement? Where he had been held prisoner for a week?" Daniel's eyes blazed behind his glasses as he glared at the offenders.

"Which is unfortunate." Woolsey started, but Sam couldn't take it anymore. If everyone else was piping up, why shouldn't she?

"Unfortunate? Is that some kind of joke? The most highly decorated officer on this base who happens to be the commanding officer of the most top secret operation in the entire world and you think his imprisonment is unfortunate?" She felt her cheeks turning red in her fury and it was like a switch had been flipped. How dare these two pigs come in here and downplay the severity of what their corrupt boss had done?

Sam shoved her chair back and stood, leaning across the table and getting right in their faces. "Robert Kinsey is an underhanded, corrupt son of a bitch who put all of our lives at risk! He locked General Hammond in his basement with no food, no water, and no way of knowing that he had supplies to survive. Your vice president didn't care if he lived or died. And he actively tried to kill me and my team!" Sam hissed the last part and saw the two men visibly shrink back from her.

"General, get your officer in line." The Secretary of Defense sputtered after a moment, trying to avoid Sam's enraged glare.

Hammond looked up from the report in front of him, expression unreadable. He glanced from the back of the Major's head to the two bureaucrats. "I've yet to see her step out of line."

Sam smirked, but mixed with her already furious expression, it looked more like a snarl. She decided she was okay with that.

Across the table, Teal'c spread his fingers on its flat surface and pushed himself slowly to his feet. Sam glanced up at him, then narrowed her eyes at the men before sinking back into her chair, muscles tense and waiting for a fight.

Teal'c stood silently, head tilted and eyebrow raised. No one in the room spoke, but the three seated members of SG-1 shared a knowing look. Teal'c by nature was the most honorable of them all and he would absolutely not stand for justice not being served. After several moments, Woolsey braved a glance at the much bigger man. "Your intimidation tactic won't do you any good here, Mr. Teal'c."

"It's just Teal'c." Jack said, raising a finger and smirking.

"But you can call him Master Teal'c." Daniel added, earning an approving nod from Jack.

"General Hammond, we will not stand for this!" The Secretary stood, flinching when Teal'c turned to fully face him.

"You stand for nothing!" Hammond stood also, the force of his movement sending his chair flying into the wall behind him. "You come onto _my_ base and demand that _my_ people forget everything _your_ lying puppetmaster did to them? Or maybe you just don't know what he did? Well, I'll tell you." Hammond drew himself up to his full height, hands balled into tight fists at his sides. "He trapped them in teenage bodies, tried to make a superdrug out of their blood, then attempted to shoot them all and cover up everything he'd done. Does that clear things up?"

The men sat in stony silence, briefcases and papers lying forgotten next to them. Their orders came from Kinsey and not the president, but they had been banking on no one knowing that. They'd also thought that the sheer power of a vice presidential order would have SG-1 and Hammond cow-towing to them.

While they were listening to Hammond, Teal'c had taken the opportunity to move right next to Woolsey. "I believe it is time for you to leave."

The two men jumped and spun to face the Jaffa. "E—excuse me, but we are here to-,"

Teal'c bent down, looked between the two, and stretched his mouth into a too-large smile. "Leave."

Woolsey and the Secretary looked at each other before jumping up in unison, grabbing their briefcases and stumbling over each other to get to the stairs. "You'll be hearing from us!" Woolsey called over his shoulder as they disappeared down the steps.

The five SGC members left in the room shared a sigh of relief and for the first time in a long time, reveled in the camaraderie they felt. "SG-1, you are all granted one week downtime. Job well done. Dismissed."

Hammond turned and left them, closing the doors to his office. Sam made to go after him, but a light hand on her arm stopped her. One look at Jack's face told her what she'd suspected. The General probably wanted to be alone for the moment; he needed to get himself reacclimated and back into his rhythm.

Sam smiled tightly at him, fury still coursing through her veins. He smiled back, then looked at the other members of his team. Daniel and Teal'c were still visibly upset, but everyone seemed to have generally calmed down. "Well," He said, pushing back from the table. "I've got to pack and I believe you all do too."

Daniel glanced away. "Um, actually Jack I can't make it." His eyes shot quickly to Sam then away again. "I think I want to spend some time at home. And Teal'c felt left out of the whole teenager thing, so I was thinking of taking him to Disney World." Teal'c cocked his head at Daniel, but didn't say anything to the contrary.

Sam narrowed her eyes at the two, but didn't bother to point out how flimsy their excuses were.

"Okay." Jack said shrugging. "Carter? Still in?"

"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind the company." Sam smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"You're welcome any time." Jack grinned as he stood. "Be ready to go in thirty."

"Yes, sir."

"You'll have to lose the sir this week, Carter!" He called over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

Sam blushed as she turned back to Daniel and Teal'c. Both men were looking studiously at the table.

"What?" Sam asked, eyes wide.

"Nothing." Daniel smiled awkwardly.

"Seriously, guys."

"It is indeed nothing, Major Carter." Teal'c bowed his head then stood. "Daniel Jackson, we have much to plan."

"Huh?" Daniel blinked up at him, confused.

"Disney?" Sam narrowed her eyes at the archaeologist and then rolled them when he smiled too brightly.

"Right! Yes. Planning." He gave her another awkward smile and stepped away from the table. As Sam stood, he called over his shoulder. "Also, I think Jack left something for you. You might want to grab it."

Sam glanced down and saw that there was indeed a small, folded piece of paper where Jack had been sitting. Frowning, she picked it up and turned it over in her hand, deciding if she should actually open it. Figuring she had nothing to lose, Sam unfolded it and read the four simple words scrawled in his messy handwriting.

She looked up, eyes wide, and the urge to pack faster than she'd ever packed in her life swept over her.

…..

Sam sat on the dock, dangling her now tanned feet in the water. "Hey." Jack said as he plopped himself down next to her, passing her a beer.

"Hey yourself." Sam grinned as she bumped him with her shoulder.

Jack smiled down at her as she rested her chin on his shoulder and crinkled her nose at him. "We have to go back to work tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."

"Sorry." Sam made a face, but didn't move her chin. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we still a we? Tomorrow, I mean?"

Jack paused. After a moment, he put down his beer and brushed gentle fingers across her forehead, pushing her hair from her eyes. "Yes."

"That's okay?"

Leaning down, he captured her lips in a gentle kiss, smiling when she scooted closer to him. "It will be."

"Good." Sam pressed her lips to his again. The last week had been absolute paradise. For the first time, it had just been them. No one else around, no regulations, and no rank. Reaching into her pocket Sam wrapped her fingers around the now-worn paper, the four words etched deep in her memory.

_It was always you._

**END**

**A/N: Thank you for reading!**


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